Bad things are happening to good people! Disease is hitting parents, close friends struggling with debilitating pain and anguish, and people who appear to echo God are taken before their time. Nobody appears to be safe! If the evidence is to be believed, you can forget about protection, comforts, and smooth sailing.
Did we expect anything else? Do we arrogantly assume that because we reflect more of who God is we wear a shield? Are we looking to strike a deal with Evil?
The fact that life is difficult to people all of demographics is a given. The rich suffer from disease as do the middle class. The young are as vulnerable to death as those who are older. The loss of someone close touches the very core of anyone in love.
“A good person survives misfortune, but a wicked life invites disaster.” (Proverbs 12.26)
Several weeks after, I wonder about the family of a missing work peer. I think of her son who must now be in the first or second year of college. I wish I could provide answers to her teenage daughter. In the quietness of the evening, I can sense all that is good about her memory; the ready smile, a genuine laugh, and one who always strived for the best. As a co-worker, I found her irritating because she was often in waters beyond her depth; however she always cared about her actions, the team, and the results.
This will not be the first bad news of the day, and probably not the last. Hope slowly extinguishes in the hearts of those still searching for the missing while new tragedies reach out for the innocent. A devoted husband loyally and cheerfully visits his dying wife and best friend. Another struggles with the challenges of balancing work, security, and personal ethics; wondering how far he can go in fulfilling the corporate directives.
In the midst of all this the good survive on God's hope. God gives to each an unconditional gift of acceptance, mercy, and love wrapped in unending relationship.
Hope.
