It’s amazing how often our own stupidity results in a less-than-desirable outcome—and we blame God. I once picked up a young man from the police department (read: jail) on behalf of his parents. As we talked on the way to his house, he mentioned that his mom had said getting caught now, because of his poor decisions, might help him learn before he made even worse choices with more serious consequences. She had prayed that if he was doing wrong, he would get caught. This made the young man angry. Apparently, he didn’t want God interfering with his plans. Yep—her prayer, God’s fault. Not his. That actually made me smile to myself. Ultimately, a lot of bad things happen in the world. Children go hungry and suffer awful circumstances. Families lose loved ones or go through painful, broken relationships. The list is long. And there’s a strong tendency to blame God. I admit—I don’t understand a lot of it. If I were God, I would intervene. But in many ways, it’s a good thing I’m not. We live in a fallen and broken world. Our free will is an amazing gift, but it can also feel like a terrible curse. Without it, we would be nothing more than puppets. God loved us enough not to force His will on us. And that’s why we face the awful consequences of willful sin. But without that freedom of choice, we would never have needed a Savior—and never known the incredible love of a God who would give His only Son, brutally sacrificed, to rescue us from our choices, sin. Today, rather than blame God for the bad, thank Him for the unfathomable good. #BeTheEdge
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 NIV
