Putting God on Trial: Why Does He Allow Us To Suffer?

I'm going to forewarn you that this is a really heavy topic from my mind and soul. I've had to think about this for a while, but this afternoon, everything clicked together, and I felt that this post needed to be created. You'll see in a moment. 

But first, a little background. A few minutes ago, I saw a Facebook status written by a friend questioning why God allowed us to suffer. You see, there have been various articles about the murders of innocent children floating everywhere on my news feed.

The first part of the title comes from the fact that this afternoon, my British Literature class did, indeed, put God on trial for the very same question:

If God is a loving God, why does he allow us to suffer? 

Let's get something straight, though. Man is a sinful creature. Nobody is truly a good person. 
"There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one. Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit. The poison of vipers is on their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; run and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know. There is no fear of God in their eyes." (Romans 3:10-18)

Because humanity has free will, we are free to choose evil over good and cruelty over kindness. Yes, some people choose to take the lives of the blameless as well. 

But He has a plan. Believe it or not, God knows what he's doing. 

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.(Jeremiah 29:11)

But if He didn't have plans for evil, then why does He let all these things happen? 

Honestly? I don't know. I'm not God. I don't know why He does the things He does. Sometimes I question His judgement as well. But 1 Corinthians 13:12 says, "Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely." 

But remember. Jesus was being truthful when he told us that there would be suffering. (John 16:33) He was right, wasn't he?

Another thing to keep in mind. Because God hates sin, the evil WILL be brought to justice. Even though it looks like they’re waltzing in freedom, it’s only temporary.

“For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:14)

God is not ignoring all the bad things that are happening in this sinful world. His idea and timing of judgment are different from our own. However, His judgment is swift and final. And it WILL come.

Last thing. Don’t forget this one. John 16:33 says, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Read that last bit with me again.

I have overcome the world.

God’s not dead. The world may be a horrible place to live in, but ultimately, God is in control. His plans aren't ours, but that’s what trust is for. We have to trust Him to get us through life. We have to trust Him to guide the families of those children into His wings.  In the meantime, however, we can pray. We can pray that God will bring the murderers to justice and that He will comfort the families and help them to forgive.

Even though I can’t claim to know God’s plans and pinpoint His exact reasoning, I do know that, just like in that old song that we used to sing in Sunday School, “He’s got the whole world in his hands”.

Throughout all the suffering humanity has to endure, that thought brings me peace.

Exiting the Bubble

They say the campus of Baylor University is like a bubble. A safe, green haven where we can live our little college student lives without ever leaving. And for the most part, for me that is, that's the case. I have everything I need at Baylor. Shelter, food, clothes, exercise, friends...why would I ever need to leave?

But I do leave. Every Tuesday and Thursday when I go to teach at a local elementary school for my service hours. Every Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday when I go to church and my small group.

And today I left again on my quest to find sustenance.

I had attended the 8:30 a.m. service with my discipleship leader, staying oddly alert with only four hours of sleep the night before. The moment I arrived back to the dorm, I hopped back in bed. I took a four hour nap after reading a chapter in my book. When I woke up, however, it was too late to head over to the Penland dining hall (we call it "P-Nasty") for food. So I left  the bubble in search of fast food.

After a long trek, I settled for Jack-In-The-Box. Unfortunately, I realized when I got there that I had taken the long way; there was a shortcut right in front of the restaurant.

But it wasn't so unfortunate.

 I left campus. I left the bubble behind, even if it was for some greasy fast food.

The sense of normalcy in our lives is like a bubble. If we don't leave it, what opportunities are we missing? What delicious Jack-In-The-Box tacos are out there that we don't devour because...we're too lazy? We're too scared to walk over the highways and through life's metaphorical sketchy neighborhoods? 

Sometimes to find ourselves, to make it to that next stepping stone, to move on with our lives, we have to leave our comfort zone. We have to exit the bubble. This was a hard lesson I had to learn when I left Japan when I was twelve. It was hard when I had to leave my family behind and strike out on my own.

If you stay in that same bubble all your life, what will you lose? 

I've lost some battles, but I've grown some too. And it's been worth it in the long run. 

Jack-In-The-Box tacos are completely worth the long walk I have to make to procure them. 

Introducing...A New Project!

I'm actually quite excited to share this one with you all. This particular project focuses on my photography. When I was registering for classes for spring semester, my adviser, who is a photography professor here at Baylor, told me that to be a great photojournalist, I would have to practice my photography every day.


But I didn't. 


Life, social obligations, and laziness got in the way of practice. So here's where the project comes in. What I plan to do is take a picture each day during the month of February. If I can get in the habit of a photo a day, then hopefully I can get into the mindset of practicing more often.

I've aptly titled this project "Photoary".

To find my snapshots from this month, click on the "Photoary 2014" tab at the top of the blog!

Let's put practice makes perfect to the test, shall we?