Changes
5/23/10
Ryan and I recently went to Arizona to visit my brother Jim.
I always believed that there's a reason for everything. That whatever happens, good or bad, happens according to God's will and purpose for our lives. When we're hurting this is a very VERY hard fact to swallow. Countless times I've heard the words, "Why does God make bad things happen?"... even typing it makes me cringe. God doesn't ever CAUSE bad to happen. But he does ALLOW it to happen. Yet even that fact is too much for people to swallow, but bear with me... God allows things to happen because He knows that hurt helps us grow. Not only that, but it shows us how we need to rely on Him. Our weakness draws us closer to the one who IS strong enough to help us through our mess. That weakness helps us to grow in Him, and to grow in ourselves. When a chain is broken, the link that is mended is generally the strongest part of the chain after it is fixed. Bones that break and mend in one spot grow much stronger than they previously were. So why wouldn't it be true that God breaks us in order to challenge our hearts to mend stronger in those areas we were weak? In that sense, the breaking of a link, like our hearts, becomes extremely sensible to the point where anything BUT that ideal DOESN'T make sense. When we understand that, we can see that the chain breaks so that it can be mended, and it is mended for a REASON.
The key is NOT to run away from hurt. Hurt finds us, no matter where we are. It is inevitable. The key is to constantly be aware of what God is doing in your life so that you can UNDERSTAND why He allowed the hurt in the first place. If we are constantly angry with God, or with hurt, we are blind to the good that comes out of it. Tragedies happen, and they are horrible. There's no question about that. But the end result becomes beautiful. If there were no hurt in our lives, we would never cherish the things that are important in life. I have seen so much death in my life that every friendship, every person in my life becomes a vital and intricate part of my life. I value each person and never forget to tell people how much they mean to me (or at least I strive to do this the best of my ability). But i wouldn't care nearly as much, wouldn't work so hard to keep those friendships and help them grow if i had never lost anyone. It is because i have lost so many that i have come to appreciate people and sincerely care for them to the point that I want it to be my career. I strive to care for people, because I know what it is like to be broken and alone.
