Good things, bad things

We’ve all heard the question, “Why do good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people?” Asking the question reveals that the person inquiring expects justice, and that justice involves some things that are “good,” and other things that are “bad” happening to the “right” people.

Usually, when the question is asked, an answer is not expected. There was a time when Jesus’ disciples asked a similar question. They encountered a man who had been born blind, and they asked, “Who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind?” (John 9:2-3). The popular opinion of the day was that bad things (like blindness) happen only to those who deserve it. But the disciples saw the dilemma. They wondered whose fault this was. Jesus’ response surprised them. He answered, “Neither. This man was born blind so that he could glorify God in his blindness.” Glorify God? How? By spending his life begging? Actually, the disciples didn’t argue with Jesus. They just watched Jesus heal him.

Paul had a “thorn in the flesh” (perhaps it was also a vision problem) that he asked God three times to have removed. But God said, “No; My grace is sufficient for you in this matter because my strength is perfected in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9). In other words, God was focusing Paul’s life to better display God’s grace, even while learning how to endure troubles.

When bad things happen to good people, God can turn defeats into victories in ways we could never have imagined. So, it would be better to ask, “How can who God is be better represented by who I am as I respond to this injustice. And remember, God makes good things happen to bad people regularly. Remember that verse. “God demonstrated His love for us in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)