How does a good God...

This phrase has been used so often… “ How could a good God let bad things happen to good people… or how could God…”  We have had countless conversations with people stemming from those questions.  They are valid and real questions that are often rooted in hurt or frustration. 

Last week this question struck us as we were driving through some villages in the mountains near our home.  So many times we’d had conversations that started like this, often ending with “Why God allow me to be born in America and these children be born into poverty in Africa.”   Again… a great question; however, we realized that we had never had a conversation with an African that was based on that question.  This of course sparked a long conversation between Derek and I about why that is.  The people that probably have more ‘grounds’ to ask that question, rarely do.   I must admit it humbled me.  We realized that for many around here, suffering is a part of life.  It is expected, it is anticipated and it is faced.  Instead of trying to figure out ways to avoid it or get out of it, and asking why all of the time, they seem to bask in gratefulness when that suffering is not plaguing them at that moment.  I think there is a realization that this life is not what was intended when we were created; therefore, it is not the Creator at fault, it is a sinful world.   I guess we could say they have a different perspective.   That is not to say that Ugandans do not grieve… they do, they wail, they gather half the village for burials, they grieve, but they do not point a finger and run from the grief.

This week we saw that so closely.  Derek and I were out for a walk and we saw a group of people gathering.  I am a scardy cat, so I said we should turn around.  Derek encouraged us to continue… until we saw why everyone was crowding.  There was a man dead on the side of the road….

I felt weak, we turned around and I could not get that image out of my head. But what struck us was not only the fact that a man had passed on the road, but that there were 20+ people gathered around including young children.  I began to talk to Derek about how much that whole scene disturbed me.  A child that young should never see something like that… but again, we were reminded that it is part of life here.  Again, not saying that Ugandans do not care, but it is just part of life.  We have gotten so good in the States at protecting ourselves from pain and discomfort that that scene would not have happened.  That night I told Derek I did not think I was cut out for this because I do not do well with things like that.  He reassured me that none of us are.  We were not intended to handle death without emotions, we prayed that night that those sights would never become “normal” to us, or that they would never cease to pull on our heart-stings and yet that God will continue to give us the vision that this is not our Home.  That His heart also breaks with these sights, and yet He has placed us here for such a time as this, to help the mamas broken from being ostracized from their community for birthing a baby with a big head, for comforting the mama who lost her baby in her burning hut, to love the lonely boy with Spina bifida who is not ‘allowed’ to go to school… No, we were not created for this reason, but God has given us the opportunity to love ‘the least of these.’  He has given us vision to see life beyond the pain and suffering. 

We have been challenged.  We have been challenged to not get too caught up in the questioning of why, but to seek wisdom for what to do now.  We have been reminded more than ever to be grateful to the One who has given us life, a reason to live and a hope for tomorrow. 

The following day we went to work at were reminded of the good God we serve.  I worked with a 6-year old who had surgery at CURE 5 years ago for Hydrocephalus.  She came walking into our office.  We asked her father how she was doing.  With a great smile, she said “Great!”  She is in school, she is writing, playing and talking. 

God knew what we needed that day.  We needed to see the way that God can use something so ‘disgraceful’ as having a baby with Hydrocephalus, into a beautiful testimony of His healing power.  A very skilled neurosurgeon performed a life saving operation on this young girl years ago, however, as he often reminds us,  “…after surgery, we continue to pray that God will continue His miracle.” 

So, why does a good God allow bad things to happen?  We won’t pretend to have the answer, nor to understand everything.  But after this week, I pray we get it a little bit more.  When we walk into a ward of children who have ‘bad things’ we have got to cling to the promises of Christ, reminding us that everything good and perfect comes from Him, it is because we live in a fallen world that we have pain.  We claim the truth that He works all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes.  It also in this we realize areas we need to grow in and realize our dependence on Him.  

For many here, they see the disorders our babies are dealing with as curses or truly ‘ bad things.’  But when you see the way these mamas look at their babies, you realize that to them, this baby is everything, it is unconditional love, it is even, “ my best friend.”  We are challenged by these women, challenged to see beauty in the face of difficulty.

It’s hard to imagine looking at this face and believe they were a curse…

We pray that you will find strength in Him today.

She just has the cutest baby butt.