Bad Things, Good People part 5
The question is not "Why do bad things happen to good people?". The question is, "What do you do when things happen?". And my answer to that is always the same: Love. When you don't know what to do... do what you know. Stop focusing on the why and put your Three T's (Time, Talent, Treasure) into what comes next. The only thing you can really control in this life... is you. That's why self-control is one of the fruits of the Spirit. Yes, this life is abudant. But it is also a life of restraint. Just because you CAN do something doens't mean you have to. And it doesn't mean you necessarily should. Just because something is lawful doesn't mean it is expedient. Just because you "feel" a certain way doesn't mean you should do a certain thing. I tell people, "Feel what you feel, but don't let it control you." Repressing your emotions is no good. But expressing them in unhealthy ways is no good too. We need to really begin to see the bigger picture. To see that even though all things don't necessarily look good, or feel good, at the moment, all things are working together for good. Sometimes you have to go through this to get to that. And that's ok. Because life is not about the destination. It is about the journey. It's about learning and growing and moving forward. Not getting stuck in that snapshot mentality. When you look at a picture, that's time frozen. But that's not real either. It's just that--a moment in time. It's not the be-all end-all. It's just part of the journey. Part of the story. So we don't need to stuck there. We can put the past where it belongs--behind us--and we can keep moving forward. We can take everything that comes as either a lesson or a blessin'. We can eat the watermelon and spit out the seeds. We can ENJOY the journey, if we're not fighting it every step of the way. And that's the key. Rest. Knowing and believing that Jesus did the heavy lifting. He took care of what needed to be taken care of so that we might enjoy the fruit of HIS labor. The work of finished. That's what Jesus said on the cross. "It is finished." That means we don't have to finish it. We can rest in His loving arms. We don't have to try to live Jesus's life. Which is good, because nobody can live Jesus's life except Jesus. It is HIS abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life of love. And HE lives HIS OWN life in us, and through us, and as us. That's how (and why) we can survive the bad things that happen to good people. He carries us through. We are planted on the Rock that is Jesus, that is love, and He keeps us from falling. He gives us that foundation (again, love) to build on. So that we can keep on keeping on. His strength is made perfect in our weakness. That's how we keep moving forward. He is carrying us, and HE is moving forward. An overcomer isn't someone who can (maybe) overcome. An overcomer is someone who knows that they have ALREADY overcome, because JESUS already overcame! That's where our victory lies--not in our future, but in our past. It's not something to strive for. It's something to enjoy. Something to celebrate. Because it is not something we need. It is something we already have. We have the keys to the Kingdom. We have the secret of life. And it is, in a Word, LOVE!