Past three days I had
been down, depressed and in despair because my personal childhood
Bible (I was using it past 25 yrs!) was lost alongwith many other
important documents including some cash! Simply because I left the
handbag containing all these in my bike's carry box, for a few minutes,
on last Friday. It was a great loss for me because I never lost
so many things in my life!
My experience is not unique. Others before me had, and I am sure
others after me, will know the experience of losing things or things
not going their way. The Bible is full of men sinking into despondency
precisely for this reason. Peter and the other disciples after crucifixion
of Christ. Elijah when he heard of the threats of Jezebel. David
when his son Absalom pursued him. The list goes on.
But why things happen like
that?
Sometimes we experience adversities because of our own folly or
sin. Part of maturity is to accept my mistakes, admit my sins and
hopefully learn from the experience. That's what I realized. I should
have not left my handbag in the bike's box, since it can be opened
easily by anybody! I took for granted that nobody so far, in all
these years, had touched that box or stolen anything from me! That
was my simple mistake that resulted in such a terrible loss!
Adversities as a result of our own folly are almost
easier to bear. But not all setbacks can be attributed to personal
sins or folly. And this presents the believer with a number of thorny
epistemological questions: "How can an Omnipotent God let bad
things happen to me unless He is powerless to preventing them and
therefore protecting me?" "How can a loving God allow 78
believers to perish in the Manor Hotel fire in the Philippines recently?"
Such questions can not be satisfied even if one proposes that there
may have been some greater purpose behind this disappointment or
disaster. One could argue if God could not have chosen a less painful
way of driving home His point. To take this argument to the extreme,
what possible explanation can one have in response to the death
of the millions, many of whom were innocent children, in the Second
World War?
How to Respond to all this?
The inability to have a reasonable way of understanding such events
led many to the conclusion that God must surely be dead. If not
dead, then aloof and removed from intervening in human events. Or
perhaps powerless. This was the very place God began in His response
to Job (Job 38). Instead of
explaining Himself or justifying His actions, God simply reasserted
who He is. Thus whilst we are unable to understand God's actions,
our lack of understanding does not mean that God is not who He proclaims
Himself to be. It is our lack of wisdom, or more correctly our lack
of faith that is on trial, not God. God does not require us to understand-
only believe that He is who He said He is. Thus the response
to events that go wrong or do not go our way should be to remain
faithful to Him.
What we need to guard against is not being able to see the bigger
picture and only focus on the immediacy of the loss. The bigger
picture is reflected in the encouraging words, "be
patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming." (James 5:7)
We are reminded that makind though lost and fallen is not doomed
to repeat the follies of history. With every successive rise of
oppressive regimes and wicked dictators, we are reminded that the
Lord's Second Coming draws nearer. When that happens, everyone will
be required to give an account for his actions. When He comes again,
all our human striving and suffering will come to an end. Thus,
as believers in God, our response should be to continue to acknowledge
the supreme wisdom and power of God. And when our strong emotions
are allowed to be experienced and given vent, we can then acknowledge
the supremacy of God over all events including those that affect
our lives.
How should we live in the
face of adversities that were not of our making?
First, remind ourselves of who God is and chose to remain
faithful to Him.
Second, grieve if we must.
And finally, remember that the Lord is coming when all wrongs
will be made right.
If the wait seemed long to us, it is only because a thousand years
is to the Lord as one day and one day as a thousand years.
In the meantime, don't let your experience
go to waste. Comfort others with the comfort that
you yourself have been comforted with. You know someone experiencing
hardship? Be a supportive friend. Allow the aggrieved person the
opportunity to be his or her true self. Let them express their feelings
freely. We offer this type of supportive relationship by being available.
Accepting and not judging nor condemning their actions is also helpful
in showing support. We can also be helpful by being sensitive to
the needs of the hurt individual.
Our Lord is coming back soon. And when He does, He
will establish justice. His promise provides hope for the future
and a balm for the present disappointments.
