We have all heard comments like, "Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?"
I haven't had the hard times that a lot of people have. I have a major depressive disorder and can diagnose it as far back as my elementary years in school. I wasn't raised in a harmful or abusive home. My parents brought us up in a church home, and I came to know Christ as my savior at around age 10. I'm currently going through a major depressive episode that has lasted for a couple of years, and I'm still experiencing it. It's been harder to overcome than any episode in the past. Why? I can blame God, but I don't. I don't blame God for ending my job of 21 years. Nor do I blame God for events such as allowing my mother to pass from dementia complications four years ago, taking my dad unexpectedly six years ago, having my dad go through colon cancer, and letting my grandfather go through prostate & bone cancer. Should I keep going? We all have had bad things happen to us or others in our lives, even children.
Then others will say, there is no God If He allows such atrocities. Why are we so quick to point the finger at God? Or worse yet, pretend He doesn't even exist? God created man in His image and created a paradise for man to live in. Can you imagine being made in the image of the one true living God? The Creator of everything. God created us with free will as he doesn't want to 'force' anyone to love Him. He wants people to come to him and worship Him for who He is, not for what He can do. God did enough. As I said, He created a paradise for us. When we decided to throw all that away to live as we wanted to make a life without him, God sent his son Jesus Christ to suffer and die to erase our sin of rebellion. Again, all He asks for is that we believe Jesus is the son of God and that He died for us. All He wants is a relationship with us where we surrender our lives to Him and love Him. We are rewarded with eternal life and a new heaven and Earth when this world ends.
"Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments."-Matthew 19:17
Don't blame God for anything or everything terrible. God is good. We need to look at ourselves. Look at what our ancestors have done. Look at what our children are doing. People turn away from God, destroying the paradise God created with sinful behavior and disobedience. Yet, these same people denying God are blaming God. How easy it is to shift the blame onto something or someone else.
"For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness."- Mark 7:21-22
People dwell on what God appears not to do, but what about all the miracles because of Him? Are there more miracles than not? No one can say there are more or less; I believe there are more miracles and more love shown by God than His allowing troubles to come. We are all still here; living on this Earth is proof of His love. He could at any time wipe all of us out of existence, but He doesn't so that we will come to accept His love and the paradise in eternity He has created for us.
Adam refused to obey God in the Garden of Eden and lost paradise. In today's time, many are doing the same. They lose the paradise God has waiting for them after this life is over because of disobedience and rejection of His love. How many parents reward their children for bad behavior? Why should God reward any of us if we choose to disobey and reject His love? By saying God is evil for allowing bad things, that is our wicked hearts not seeing how good God truly is.
Are you willing to look at God differently? So many of us look for the good and not the bad in people. Can't we do the same with God?
If you are blaming God or struggling with accepting God is good, read His Word (the Bible) and ask Him to reveal His goodness to you. Then, by surrendering your life to Jesus and developing a relationship with Him, you will realize just how good God is when those rough times come.
"And without faith, it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him"-Hebrews 11:6