Testimony Tuesday: Why do bad things happen to good people?

We have several friends that have/are going through some rough times. That is an understatement...from miscarriages and infertility, delivering stillborn babies, miserable marriages, loved ones dying, etc. Heart-breaking "rough" times. I could use any one of these situations to discuss this but I will use the one that God actually used to teach me this lesson.

My friend, Sarah, is a little younger than I am with 2 children. She found out she had a brain tumor a few months ago. Let me just tell you a little bit about Sarah--From the moment you meet Sarah you just know you want to get to know her better. She is ALWAYS smiling and laughing. Seriously, always! She is a Godly woman and you just know it before she ever speaks a word.

When I heard about her diagnosis--I was just in shock. I prayed and prayed and prayed but at some point I had to be honest with God and say, "I know you are sovereign. I know EVERYTHING that happens to us has to go through your hands first. I get that but I just do not understand this. Why Sarah?? Why the Fries family?"

A couple of nights after I found out I was running and listening to Focus On The Family and the people on were talking about being in a "rough" situation and asking God what they had done wrong. As they were reading their bible they came across the story where Jesus and the disciples come to the blind man and they asked who sinned--the blind man or his parents--and Jesus replied, "Neither, this was done for God's glory" (paraphrasing in the quotes).

So I took that as God's way of telling me that somehow this situation was going to bring glory to God. And that satisfied my questions for a couple of days...but then...I started asking, "but why The Fries family?? They are such GOOD people!!" The question nagged at me for days. At small group one week we were talking about them and I just admitted my question to the group. I felt so guilty for asking it like I just wasn't trusting God but I wanted to be honest about where I was at. God spoke through Matt to me that night when he said, "Well Sara if it would have happened to somebody that "deserved" it then nobody would be changed by it." And if I can tell you anything about the whole situation is that lives have been and are still being changed by that family!

This is what all of this taught me in a nutshell--if you are in pain--please know that there is a purpose for the pain. I can't tell you exactly what that is but I KNOW that everything must go through HIS hands to get to us and if he has let pain come to you my friend-there is a reason! CLING TO HIM because WHAT HE BRINGS YOU TO HE WILL BRING YOU THROUGH!!!

If you are going through something and just need to know that somebody out there cares and is praying for you-I am BEGGING you to email me at sarascott8704@yahoo.com.

(Also I just want to clarify that I do not think that anyone "deserves" a brain tumor.)