Romans 9:15-16
For God had said to Moses, “If I want
to be kind to someone, I will. And I will take pity on anyone I want
to.” And so God’s blessings are not given just because someone decides
to have them or works hard to get them. They are given because God takes
pity on those he wants to.
The
Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois
60188. All rights reserved.
“Because I said so!” If
you are an adult of any age who has been around children, you’ve
probably uttered this phrase! On some level, we all seem to understand
this concept that grownups don’t always have to justify their decisions
to youngsters. Sometimes, it is enough that the adult made the choice
and subsequent pronouncement…and the child must accept and honor it.
So
when we want to throw up our hands and ask God, “Why did you help Joe
and not me? Why did that person live while my own loved one died? Why
did you let Sue get by with ABC, while Mary was dragged through the mud
for something far less significant? Why do I work so hard and scrimp
and scrape to get by, while Tom and his family always seem to have more
than enough and put forth very little effort?” Sometimes, the plain
answer is, “Because I said so.”
Does God do this to be mean? Is
He playing favorites? I don’t think so. We’ve all asked the
proverbial question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?”…and
we’ve not always liked the answer. Sometimes, we simply just don’t get
it…and we’re not supposed to. I will be honest…in the last six months, a
lot of my good friends and precious loved ones have left this world for
heaven. I’ve been tempted to ask God WHY He took them and left
others…people who do have reached a point where they don’t even know
that they are alive any longer…people who do not appear to contribute
anything to the betterment of society or others in their midst…people
who commit deranged and horrific acts of abuse and mistreatment toward
people and animals alike. And if you are really honest, you’ve had
these same thoughts. We know it is not our job to judge – or to pick
and choose who lives and dies. But it is our human nature to wonder –
at least silently – why these seeming “injustices” are allowed.
I
try to tell myself that the reason God takes some who appear to be
doing His work - and leaves others who seem to be taking up space, if
not hurting others – is that He still sees potential for those in the
latter group to be redeemed. Or maybe in the case of “saints” who have
aged and declined to the point that they are merely existing…God speaks
to others through their presence to accomplish certain plans.
But
the bottom line is that it really doesn’t matter what we know about WHY
God operates in this manner or that one. What matters is that we trust
Him…that we acknowledge and accept that God is the Supreme Authority of
perfect plans…and His choices to receive a hefty dose of grace and
mercy are flawless. Additionally, consider that there might just be
people who are wondering why WE receive His grace and mercy on occasion!
A
big part of faith in Jesus depends on trust that His ways are not
always clear to us…much less in alignment with our thoughts and
desires. Just as young children do not understand why they cannot have a
piece of candy – and the adult’s “because I said so” answer doesn’t
satisfy – we are not ever going to fully understand all that God
allows. But we must trust that He has a plan…that everything is working
according to His purpose. Our job as Christian disciples is to keep
putting one foot ahead of the other - and move forward to share His
grace, mercy, forgiveness, kindness, compassion, acceptance, and promise
of hope with others. Because God said so should be more than enough
motivation for us to do this. Will it be enough for you today?
©2016 Debbie Robus
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