rain

Why do bad things happen to good people? That’s one of the textbook, unanswerable questions, isn’t it? We’ve all asked it at one time or another. We all wrestle with the “whys” of life. And while there’s not really an answer to it, there is hope beyond it. It’s not all bad. In fact, many people, including me, have discovered that their most wonderful, God-filled moments came as a direct result of the bad, painful, difficult stuff.

We humans are stubborn, hard-headed, individualistic creatures. I wish that wasn’t the truth, but it is. That is our reality. We rarely learn things the first time and hardly ever observe and discover truth from another person’s life. We have to learn it for ourselves on a personal level, don’t we? And usually it comes from banging our heads against a wall several dozen times before it actually sinks in. What’s amazing about our God, though, is that He uses those stubborn, hard-headed, individualistic times to bring about beautiful, transforming, corporate miracles.

Every person on the planet has experienced suffering—some more than others. Many wake up every single day with almost unbearable financial stress. Some wake up not knowing if they’ll eat. Many have experienced the death of a close family member or friend. Some have never known the unconditional love of another person. Many are homeless; some are terminally ill. Many are physically disabled; some are mentally disabled. Whatever your pain, though, to a large degree, it is shared. And it is shared not only by a mass of humanity, but by Creator.

God continually asks us to come to Him. It is an open invitation. It’s not just for those who look pretty and clean and smell nice. It’s also for those of us who reek of sin and have a filthy habit or two or twelve. He doesn’t just befriend those who have it all together, but goes after those who have been rejected by society and who are on the outskirts of life. It almost seems, in fact, that God is even more interested in the down-and-out than He is in the up-and-coming. He did say, after all, that He came not for the healthy, but for the sick (Mark 2:17).

Today might be awful. You may feel depressed, unmotivated and exhausted. May you come to see that God’s invitation is for you in particular. He longs to hold you and comfort you and love you unconditionally. Draw close to Him today and feel His presence.

Thank you, Rob Bell and the Nooma team for a fantastic resource!