2015 08 23 ~ When Bad Things Happen

When Bad Things Happen We live in a lovely world God created. Is everything in our world always lovely? Is it always a happy place where only good things happen? No? You are right. Sometimes bad things happen in the lovely world God created for us. We have discussed bad things happen because of sin. They may be the result of our sin or someone else’s sin. Some bad things like storms, accidents, and death happen just because we live in a world with sin. Will bad things ever stop happening in this world? No, the Bible tells us to expect bad things. God knows we will experience hard and painful circumstances. The question is what we will do when bad things happen. How will we respond to God or to others? God always wants us to run to Him. He isn’t a friend who wants to know only good things. He wants to know everything that makes us happy, our interests, and our ideas. He also wants to know about the bad things in our lives. When something bad happens we should run first to Jesus and tell Him all about it. We need to tell Him what happened and how it made us feel. It is true He knows all things, but He wants to hear it from you because He wants to spend that time together. He wants the opportunity to comfort you and let you know He cares. Ask Him to heal your pain. After we run to Jesus we have to live in the world where the bad thing happened. For example, if someone says something terrible to us, we still have to see or spend time with that person. How should we respond? Have you ever done something you shouldn’t? How did God respond to you? Remember we know how to live by doing what God does! When we sin, God forgives our sin and continues to show us love. When someone else hurts us, we are to do the same. We are to forgive them and then continue to show them love. It is hard because we may be hurt or angry. We may want revenge but that isn’t God’s way. God’s way is to forgive and love. When you have a hard time with this, ask God for His help to love the person who hurt you. He will. Sometimes bad things happen and no one is to blame. In those situations we need to express the pain to God and then take the time needed to grieve. Losing a pet or loved one is an example. When someone dies, it hurts. We need to express that pain and grieve because it really does hurt. An amazing way to deal with bad things that happen is to start paying much more attention to all the good things in your life. It is easier for us to think about the bad because they do hurt. However, when you are hurting, make a list of every good thing God had done or given you. Think about your family, friends, home, toys, and hobbies. Focus on all the good gifts in your life. Begin to tell Jesus about those things. Thank Him and worship Him for all of them. When you walk in thankfulness you will think less and less about the bad things. Taking the time to be thankful for good things gives God the opportunity to heal the pain in your heart that came from the bad things.