Mark 11: 27-33
BAD THINGS AND GOOD PEOPLE
Growing up in a small town, I had four dear friends living within four blocks. Though we seldom see each other today, we’re still close, frequently calling and emailing. They’re a college professor, a retired high school teacher, a retired hospital manager, and a career U.S. Air Force man. Our mothers were older when we were born, and we lost our fathers early. The mothers of the other four developed Alzheimer’s, and my friends became their primary caregivers until they could no longer be kept at home.
I was able to take care of my mother at home, despite her terminal brain cancer, so I understand the difficulty of institutionalizing someone you love dearly. Each of our mothers shared common values, including love of God, appreciation of education, and respect for their fellow man. Seeing the challenges my friends faced made me question why bad things happen to good people.
One of the mysteries of life is why God, who is all-knowing and truly loving, allows good people like these friends and others at Bayshore to suffer. When I pray, I ask God to help my friends, to provide for their needs, but if it isn’t His will, to let me understand and accept that will, as in the wonderful hymn, “It Is Well with My Soul,” written by a father who lost all five of his children.
There is no easy answer. Yet when I can ask the Lord in person, I know it won’t matter. I remember the passage in Mark when Jesus was questioned about his authority to work miracles. He declined to answer, but His followers knew it was because God was with Jesus, just as He is with us.
— Van Magers