One the hardest ideas – or questions – anyone of faith must face, at least one time in their life, is: “Why does God allow bad things happen to good people?!?” And, truthfully, that’s something we’ve ALL asked at some point or another.
No matter how strong your beliefs or faith, we all encounter those moments when we question God’s grace or mercy… even men and women who have chosen a career in service to God! When faced with one of “those times” years ago, miraculously, a little book crossed our path. Written by a Conservative Jewish rabbi, this book explored this exact question – right in the title: “When Bad Things Happen To Good People” by Rabbi Harold Kushner.
This book was his response to one of the most horrific calamities a parent can face… the diagnosis of a terminal illness in your child. Watching his young son suffer, with no cure or hope even available, KNOWING death was inevitable, gave Rabbi Kushner plenty of reasons to question his faith and God. “Tragedies like this were supposed to happen to selfish, dishonest people whom I, as a rabbi, would then try to comfort by assuring them of God’s forgiving love. How could it be happening to me…”
Which, once again, begs the question… WHY?!? And while Rabbi Kushner comes to his own conclusions, we would like to offer our thoughts. As an organization dedicated to not only performing “random acts of kindness,” but to offering immediate aid to those stricken by calamity, we see people at their lowest moments – and, honestly, it can shake your faith. But, we also see the other side of this devastating coin. We see entire communities band together; we see folks of all ages and walks of life make donations; we see volunteers rush to disaster sites; we see those who may have strayed, drop down on their knees in prayer.
And in these situations, THAT’S where we find our “faith silver lining!” We can’t begin to “explain” to these afflicted people why this happened to them – that’s waaaaay above our biblical pay grade. So we choose to draw strength from Job… the original bad-luck, “why-me” guy. Let’s face it, everything that COULD go wrong in Job’s life, DID go wrong! And, just like Rabbi Kushner lamented back in 1981, Job also questioned why God was “punishing” him. “Does not disaster come to the unjust and calamity to workers of iniquity? Does He not see my ways and count my every step?” (Job 31: 3-4) Yet, through all the tribulations, the illness, the death of loved ones, the financial ruin, he still clung to his faith!
If Job could maintain his ultimate belief in God’s goodness and emerge with his faith intact, then we can draw strength during our hard times. MAYBE, just maybe, the take-away from these circumstances could be the ACTIONS these instances set into motion! Without that life-shattering occurrence, Rabbi Kushner may have never written his book – which has brought comfort to countless millions throughout the past 37 years. Had Job not faced the most overwhelming misfortunes, we would not have his example for inspiration when bad thing happen in our lives. Bottom line, we know He has a plan and it’s our job to just do our part and keep the faith.
So…we DO! Even when those disasters hit extremely close to home. Even when they touch members of our family. Even when there is no apparent rhyme or reason. And, you know what? During those times, we actually draw closer to Him and feel the warmth of faith spread through us, specifically because we witness – with our own eyes – these miraculous acts of faith performed around us! And this amazing feeling spurs us to continue to serve, enlisting others to join, simply by sharing with our personal inspiration and testimony.
And that’s just what we did when tragedy recently struck in the form of Hurricane Michael, immediately followed by the unprecedented flooding literally in our own Texas Hill Country backyards. But, that just fueled our volunteers and extraordinarily-generous donors to redouble their efforts… shipping flatbeds filled with supplies to those affected!
Okay, now might be a good time to add one more thought to this discussion. Do we think God intentionally sends these catastrophes as a form of “punishment” or to remind us of His power? While He may be very “hands-on” with us as individuals – which some might characterize as micro-managing (and we’re GREAT with that) – when it comes to the bigger picture we don’t honestly believe He sends “death and pestilence” simply because He’s bored or wants to amuse Himself! He created a universe and put all the pieces into divine motion… and now, it’s just a matter of watching and waiting as each piece falls into place. The saving grace is, He remains steadfastly by our sides during these trials to strengthen our resolve, our faith, and to assist us in actually taking those “leaps of blind faith.”
So, while we cannot definitively answer the “Why?!?” question, we CAN find a measure of comfort in our faith and do our very best to manifest that faith in the world around us… and you can grab a bit of that faith for yourself, by following our mission on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. And, although “bad things” WILL continue to happen to “good people,” here at Blind Faith Foundation, we will consciously choose to maintain our “blind faith” in Him and draw from His strength by taking action. AND, as long as He’s by our side – continuing to support and love us, engaging more volunteers and sponsors for our mission, inspiring us with His blessings – we stand READY to follow Him once more into the face of disaster!