Table talk Tuesday is continuing.  Today’s topic was “Why do bad things happen to good people?”  Of course it is hard to answer this in a few moments at a table - books are written discussing the topic.

We did have a good opening discussion.  First we began with what the question assumes.  This actually took a good bit of time as we brought up issues of who or what is the determiner of who is good or what is bad.   Without a solid basis the question doesn’t work too well.

The discussion moved to how God, in His love, gave us as people freedom to choose.  When Adam and Eve exercised that choice to choose against God, the door was open for good things and bad things to occur or be chosen to be done by people.

We also talked about how we just cannot comprehend all of God’s ways.  It does seem that He sees a picture we can’t and that this picture (just like pictures we can see) is made of the blend,or juxtaposition of dark and light and shading.  So even some hard things we experience are contrasted with a blessing, or understanding of God, or etc.

There is also an enemy contending against us.

Finally, the ultimate reality we are living for is beyond this life and that perspective can help deal with hard things and great things.  Sometimes, though, we just don’t know.

I didn’t intend to answer the whole question in this blog, but to let you in on a ministry moment.  If you have any comments, please add them.  Who knows where we may end up!