| Why? God only knows! © Ferna Lary Mills |
There are no words to describe the devastation grief causes to the soul. After the
initial shock and disbelief, the loudest question we ask becomes, "Why?" Why did
God allow this to happen? Why did this happen to someone who was so kind, so
good, so young? Why now? Why us? The question reverberates in our minds over
and over again. We demand answers, but no answers come. The anger builds. The
frustration mounts. Even some Christians soundly rooted in their faith begin to waiver.
The answer is actually very simple, but so very difficult for us to accept, and offers
little in the matter of comfort. But it's the only true answer.
Only God knows.
The creator of an airplane knows the exact workings of each part and what it takes to
get that airplane in the air. The average passenger sitting in a seat as it taxis down
the runway, hasn't got a clue. But the passenger flies from one end of this country to
the next because he has placed his trust in the creator of that airplane.
God is our Creator. He knows the exact workings of this life we are living. We are the
average passengers, and most of the time we don't have a clue. When things go
wrong, we don't know why, only that something terrible went wrong. Our Creator
knows why, for He is our Creator ~ and in His Divine wisdom He knows all. There is
nothing He does not know!
There is a reason why a loved one dies and for whatever circumstances occurred
surrounding their death. Just as there is a reason for everything else on this planet.
God is our Creator. He created the sunshine and the night for a reason. He created
the length of the seasons for a reason. He placed the stars and the planets
throughout the universe in exact locations for a reason. He is the one who laid the
foundations of the universe and he did so for a specific reason. The rotation of the
earth, the location of the moon, the distance to the sun ~ all were created for a
reason. His reason.
Job had every calamity known to man happen to him and his family. He lost
everything. His family. His wealth. His home. His health. When he questioned God
for the reasons why, God responded by asking Job ":Where were you when I laid the
foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions?
On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone while the morning stars
sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?"
In other words, there are so many things we don't know and with our finite minds we
cannot begin to understand. For God to explain to me why my loved one died at this
particular time, would be like that aeronautical engineer trying to explain to a child the
theories of aeronautics.
We have so many unanswered questions, but God alone has all of the answers.
That doesn't help, you say. Your heart still cries for answers. This is where you, as
the passenger, need to trust in the Creator.
We get angry. God could have prevented this tragedy, but He didn't. You are right.
He could have prevented it. But He didn't. Why? Again, only God knows. But
everything is according to His plan. Everything. Even though it hurts. So what is His
plan? God had one ultimate plan in all of His creation. He created us so that He
could love us, and that we would love Him in return, and in that ultimate love, that we
should become like Christ.
From the moment of our birth until our last day on earth, God continues to be our
Creator, sculpting our spirits to be more Christ-like. The day we are born, our spirit is
like a large lump of stone, and throughout our life He chips away the portion of that
stone that doesn't resemble Christ, so that one day, we will indeed be glorious
creations, worthy of the glorious place He has prepared for us.
Nothing happens to us in this life that doesn't relate to His divine sculpting. Nothing.
And nothing happens to us in this life that ever takes the Lord by surprise. He knows
our lives from beginning to end, even from the moment he conceived each one of us
in his thoughts.
So why did he allow a child to die? Or a loved one to die violently? Or other
tragedies? I repeat, Only God Knows. I could guess any number of reasons, but how
can I second-guess God? It would be crazier than trying to second-guess the creator
of the airplane as to why the whatszit it attached to the whatchamacallit. I wasn't
there when he was creating that airplane. I don't have his wisdom of aeronautics. I
don't have his knowledge of mechanics. I just want to get to Miami. I don't need to
know how it works. I only need to trust that it does.
I wasn't there when God was laying the foundations of the earth and set all of
creation into place. Neither do I have His knowledge or His wisdom. I would be
foolish to try to "guess". I don't have to know all of His inner workings in my life. I just
want to get to Heaven!
Sure, the hurt and the anger are still there. The pain is real. But God's love is also
very real, and the one true thing in all of creation is that He does love you. More
deeply than you have ever loved anyone, and in ways you cannot even begin to
imagine.
Sometimes the hardest thing to do is simply to trust Him. And yet, that's exactly what
He wants you to do.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. ~
Proverbs 3:5
initial shock and disbelief, the loudest question we ask becomes, "Why?" Why did
God allow this to happen? Why did this happen to someone who was so kind, so
good, so young? Why now? Why us? The question reverberates in our minds over
and over again. We demand answers, but no answers come. The anger builds. The
frustration mounts. Even some Christians soundly rooted in their faith begin to waiver.
The answer is actually very simple, but so very difficult for us to accept, and offers
little in the matter of comfort. But it's the only true answer.
Only God knows.
The creator of an airplane knows the exact workings of each part and what it takes to
get that airplane in the air. The average passenger sitting in a seat as it taxis down
the runway, hasn't got a clue. But the passenger flies from one end of this country to
the next because he has placed his trust in the creator of that airplane.
God is our Creator. He knows the exact workings of this life we are living. We are the
average passengers, and most of the time we don't have a clue. When things go
wrong, we don't know why, only that something terrible went wrong. Our Creator
knows why, for He is our Creator ~ and in His Divine wisdom He knows all. There is
nothing He does not know!
There is a reason why a loved one dies and for whatever circumstances occurred
surrounding their death. Just as there is a reason for everything else on this planet.
God is our Creator. He created the sunshine and the night for a reason. He created
the length of the seasons for a reason. He placed the stars and the planets
throughout the universe in exact locations for a reason. He is the one who laid the
foundations of the universe and he did so for a specific reason. The rotation of the
earth, the location of the moon, the distance to the sun ~ all were created for a
reason. His reason.
Job had every calamity known to man happen to him and his family. He lost
everything. His family. His wealth. His home. His health. When he questioned God
for the reasons why, God responded by asking Job ":Where were you when I laid the
foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions?
On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone while the morning stars
sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?"
In other words, there are so many things we don't know and with our finite minds we
cannot begin to understand. For God to explain to me why my loved one died at this
particular time, would be like that aeronautical engineer trying to explain to a child the
theories of aeronautics.
We have so many unanswered questions, but God alone has all of the answers.
That doesn't help, you say. Your heart still cries for answers. This is where you, as
the passenger, need to trust in the Creator.
We get angry. God could have prevented this tragedy, but He didn't. You are right.
He could have prevented it. But He didn't. Why? Again, only God knows. But
everything is according to His plan. Everything. Even though it hurts. So what is His
plan? God had one ultimate plan in all of His creation. He created us so that He
could love us, and that we would love Him in return, and in that ultimate love, that we
should become like Christ.
From the moment of our birth until our last day on earth, God continues to be our
Creator, sculpting our spirits to be more Christ-like. The day we are born, our spirit is
like a large lump of stone, and throughout our life He chips away the portion of that
stone that doesn't resemble Christ, so that one day, we will indeed be glorious
creations, worthy of the glorious place He has prepared for us.
Nothing happens to us in this life that doesn't relate to His divine sculpting. Nothing.
And nothing happens to us in this life that ever takes the Lord by surprise. He knows
our lives from beginning to end, even from the moment he conceived each one of us
in his thoughts.
So why did he allow a child to die? Or a loved one to die violently? Or other
tragedies? I repeat, Only God Knows. I could guess any number of reasons, but how
can I second-guess God? It would be crazier than trying to second-guess the creator
of the airplane as to why the whatszit it attached to the whatchamacallit. I wasn't
there when he was creating that airplane. I don't have his wisdom of aeronautics. I
don't have his knowledge of mechanics. I just want to get to Miami. I don't need to
know how it works. I only need to trust that it does.
I wasn't there when God was laying the foundations of the earth and set all of
creation into place. Neither do I have His knowledge or His wisdom. I would be
foolish to try to "guess". I don't have to know all of His inner workings in my life. I just
want to get to Heaven!
Sure, the hurt and the anger are still there. The pain is real. But God's love is also
very real, and the one true thing in all of creation is that He does love you. More
deeply than you have ever loved anyone, and in ways you cannot even begin to
imagine.
Sometimes the hardest thing to do is simply to trust Him. And yet, that's exactly what
He wants you to do.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. ~
Proverbs 3:5
| A Christian Grief Ministry |
Life After Loss |
|
