When Bad Things Happen to Christians

Late Sunday night as Mark and I were winding down and watching the 10 o'clock news, our phone rang. It was a fellow church member whose daughter went on a mission trip to Haiti with a team of students from her college. They were in a horrible bus accident where one Haitian was killed. Rosie, our friend from church, sustained minor injuries, but several of the volunteers were seriously injured. The bus apparently lost its brakes and nearly went over a cliff. Thank God, the driver was able to crash into the hillside instead and the bus came to a stop.

We have a photo and prayer card of Rosie on our fridge. We have been praying for her and team of students all week long. They were supposed to come home on Monday. We know God was watching out for them because every single person on that bus could have lost their life. But it made me wonder....were we not praying hard enough? In my humanness I ask: "Why did God allow something bad to happen to these wonderful students while they were on a trip to help the people of the quake-ravaged country? They had to raise their own financial support and sacrifice a week of their own time to endure hardship and see an immense amount of human suffering. My daughter, Michelle, believes that when you go on a mission trip you really have to "count the cost." You should prepare for hardship, and be willing to endure it for the greater cause of Christ. Suffering always has been a part of the "deal" when we sign on to become a follower of Christ. However, as comfortable Americans, we feel entitled to a life of pain-free ease and abundance.

I have thought about this as well. When my husband and I were newlyweds, we had a horrible car crash in a Toyota. We were on our way to the beach when some projectile came into the vehicle and hit Mark on the temple. He thought he had been shot and was distracted and took his eyes off the road for a millisecond and he crashed the vehicle into a huge oak tree. Mark walked away with a couple of bruises and torn jeans. I suffered a broken back and severly fractured forearm. I was in bed for 3 months recuperating. The personnel at the hospital said it was a miracle I didn't become a paraplegic...the injury came very close to my spinal cord. My Dad believed that God spared my life because he had a special plan for my life, and "He wasn't through with you yet." My husband had been "running from the call." He knew God had called him into the ministry, but he was afraid of the loss of income that would mean if he left his job in sales in the Silicon Valley. He wasn't ready to be "poor"....especially since he was just getting a taste of "the good life." But this was God's way of getting his attention. This new car that he polished and adored was a mangled piece of metal destined for the junkyard. God was saying, "Don't worship your stuff....because I can take it away in an instant. Worship me and I will take care of the material things. Put me first." I was also running from God by being in a sort of rebellion. We were youth leaders, but had alot of growing-up to do. But God was disciplining us, just like a good parent disciplines their child when they are headed down a dangerous path. So, I believe sometimes tragedies are God's way of correcting us.

Another reason that I think God allows us to suffer trials and tribulations is because he wants us to have a testimony to the world of His greatness. He wants to demonstrate in us a miracle. It might be that we came through this particular hardship stronger than ever. We might be able to empathize better because we know exactly how it feels to be in a body cast, lose a loved one, go through chemotherapy, etc. When God brings us through a trial, we can give Him the glory for getting us through the problems. We don't get angry at God, but rather we praise Him for His goodness. This shows the world that we have faith in someone bigger than us. Someone who has the power to do whatever He wills...someone who promises to "never leave or forsake us."

And, finally, I think God allows difficulties into our lives to "keep us on our knees." Have you ever noticed that when you are going through a particularly difficult problem in your life you tend to pray at every opportunity? The t.v. and radio are stilled so you can carry your burdens to the Lord. You can't wait to get up and see what encouraging word awaits for you in the Bible. I think that when everything is going along relatively well in our lives, we tend to not cry out to God. Everything's just fine, thank you. My goal is to cry out to Jesus even during the good times....to worship Him and praise Him just because He is an awesome, amazing God in so many ways...and He is worthy of all of the praise and prayers....not just when I need help, but ALL the time.