Bad Things to Good People?

I believe that you, Hope Mom, are tremendously brave for facing each day without your child or children.

I believe that you, Hope Mom, are to be cherished because God has set His image upon you.

I believe that you, Hope Mom, are loved by a Savior King who extends the offer of His salvation and His Kingship to the world.

I believe that you, Hope Mom, are rightly longing for a redemption, a yet-to-be-fulfilled day, when all will be made right.

I believe that you, Hope Mom, have God-given strength as you endure each minute of the indescribable storm of grief.

So, why? Why do bad things happen to good people?

R.C. Sproul Jr. said: “Why do bad things happen to good people? That only happened once and He volunteered.”

When we think about all the good we have, who has given it? Who has given the human capacity for bravery? Who has set His image upon you? Who has extended His offer of salvation and Kingship to the world? Who has set within you a longing for a better day—a longing for God Himself? Who has given you strength, even your very breath this moment?

We owe everything, everything, good that we have to God.  While all that is listed above is absolutely true of us, we have supplied none of it to ourselves.  The reason we are to be loved, the reason we have hope, the reason we have strength, and the reason we are to be cherished is God Himself—our Creator and King.

The heartbreaking, Biblical truth is that we chose to reject God’s good, rightful Kingship instead of love it (Gen. 3; Rom. 3:10). We sinned. We chose ourselves over God.  That is why R.C. Sproul Jr. is right.

We are not intrinsically good. We are not naturally moral, or decent, or deserving. But there was one good man—one good and perfect God-Man, Jesus Christ.

“Who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth.”
– 1 Peter 2:22

“In Him, there is no sin.”
– 1 John 3:5

So, why do bad things happen to good people, or rather, a good Person? Because He volunteered.

“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
– 2 Corinthians 5:21

He, being rich in mercy, volunteered for suffering, for sacrifice, for punishment, for death, and for God’s wrath on our behalf because of the great love with which He loved us (Ephesians 2:4-5).

Do you see how this completely flips our natural perspective? Everything is owed to God. And even after rejecting Him, still, everlasting life is offered or given back to us. So, we don’t have a right to say to God, “I am a good person; I don’t deserve this!” We have been gifted the right to become His children (John 1:12), worshipers of the King, declaring that we have abundantly more than we ever deserved through Christ.

So, brave, cherished, loved, hope-seeking, God-strengthened Hope Moms, let’s use whatever we do have this day to offer Him worship for all that He has done.

“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
– 1 Thessalonians 5:18

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Lianna (@liannadavis) is wed to Tyler and mom of two dear daughters. She is author of Made for a Different Land: Eternal Hope for Baby Loss (Hope Mommies, 2019). More of her writing can be found at her website.

We would be honored to share your story as a Hope Mom on our blog. On Saturdays we feature Hope Moms’ stories in order to showcase God’s faithfulness even in the midst of such deep sorrow. If you would like to have your story shared on our blog for this purpose, learn more and submit here.

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