Sometimes, $@&# Happens

2/16/2009

One of my good friends called me a few moments ago to vent about job problems. He's being overlooked and overworked. Others on his team are getting promoted and he's stuck working doubles to make up for the labor shortages.

* * *

The pastor of the community I'm a part of had to pick up a second job a few months ago. His wife's pregnant and they need a little extra income so that they can make ends meet.

* * *

Then there's my own situation- the company I was working for in Seattle started losing money over the Summer and had to let go almost all of the creative team. I moved out there for a dream job and ended up without any job.

* * *

Why do all these things happen?

I don't know that there's an easy answer to that question. For most of my life, I used to throw out a verse or two like "all things work together for the good..." but those phrases aren't much comfort to the down and out. Most of the time, the seem like faux-catharsis.

Then the other day, Beth said something that made a lot more sense. She reminded me that we're living in a fallen world and sometime bad things happen, not because of some incredible divine mandate that's orchestrating our lives toward heaven, but because this place is broken.

Surely sometimes there's meaning and significance, but other times, bad things happen simply because they happen. The humanity within us longs to makes something meaningful of each event, because somehow we feel that it will lessen the blow of the reality that we live in a broken, fallen world. And in some ways I think we figure that if bad circumstances push us on to something good, then they weren't "bad" in the first place.

I don't think this mean that circumstances are random, however. I don't mean that they are out of control and completely devoid of meaning in the way Nietzsche argued in Thus Spoke Zarathustra:

"On mine honour, my friend," answered Zarathustra, "there is nothing ofall that whereof thou speakest: there is no devil and no hell. Thy soulwill be dead even sooner than thy body: fear, therefore, nothing anymore!"

The man looked up distrustfully. "If thou speakest the truth," said he,"I lose nothing when I lose my life. I am not much more than an animalwhich hath been taught to dance by blows and scanty fare."

This is not how I see life, or any event within it.

But at the same time, I think that we rob ourselves of sorrow and grief when we only look for "the positive things" about a situation and don't allow ourselves to morn. We need to morn this world we're in where bad things happen to good and bad people alike. We need to grieve over the brokenness that came from the fall.

When bad things happen, we need to allow ourselves to feel bad about it. We need to get upset that things aren't perfect. For every time this broken world reveals itself for what it is, we get a better picture of reality and a firmer realization that THIS IS NOT THE WAY IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE.

Then, and only then will we have eyes to see and ears to hear what God might have for us within each circumstance.

Megan link

2/16/2009 12:13:01 am

Sonny and I were kind of talking about this idea the other day, and we disagreed on something, and I would love to get your opinion. The conversation went a few different directions but eventually converged on this idea: God has His plan, and regardless of our action/circumstances/sin/poor choices He will ensure that His plan is worked out. Sounds pretty simple and obvious, right? Eh, not so much. I think that God has the best in mind for our lives, yes, but I also think that our "free will" allows us to make choices that can affect the outcome of our lives. Sonny disagrees, and says that God will bring us back to the plan he had all along, even if it takes some wrong turns. Okay, I'm confusing myself even, let me try an analogy...

The example that we were using was about my best friend Deahna, who had a baby about 7 months ago (out of wedlock). It was one of those poor choices that had drastic consquences (and blessings too) But what I was saying to Sonny is that by making that choice, yes God has wonderful plans for her life, but now her plans include caring for an infant. It shifts. She went to school for non-profit management, and perhaps if she hadn't made that mistake, she would have gone on to start a non-profit here in Orlando. Or in Africa. Or whatever. But now she has a baby, and things are different. She made a choice, that shifted her life. But she gained the beautiful blessing of Justice Hosea (that's her baby's name). It's a give and take. We live in a broken world, and bad things happen in it. But God will use these situations for good, in the end. It might be different. But it's good.

Thoughts?
Did that even make sense?

p.s. I like reading your blog. I'm glad we're in community together.

Nathan link

2/16/2009 12:55:50 am

Megan,

This is a HUGE question / thought / discussion.

1. Your reply makes sense.

2. I don't know that we'll ever have a satisfying answer to the dilemma of "free will" vs. "God's will."

Here's why:

If God forces us into "His will" then it seems like He's the orchestrator of good and evil and therefore we should not be accountable for our own actions (or so the argument is made by free-willers).

Then again, the problem with free-will is that it makes God sort of powerless if we have the power to thwart His purposes (or so the argument is made by the god-willers).

It's one of those conundrums that plague humanity. Even those who aren't Christ followers have this debate (although they call it free-will vs. fatalism/destiny). In fact, that's sort of what Star Wars is all about, right?

"Luke, it is your destiny"

Now, not to avoid your question, but I think at the heart of the free-will vs predestination dilemma lies an even more important question:

Do I believe that God is good?

Because if I believe that He is good, then whether he works within free-will or within predestination- I believe that He will either redeem bad circumstances or orchestrate them in a way that leads us back to Him.

If I believe that He isn't good, or that He doesn't care... then it really doesn't matter what I do, good or bad, because in the end nothing really matters since redemption of self and redemption of circumstances are impossible.

I think we should probably talk about this in person sometime because the range of this discussion can get a little overwhelming if we're not careful.

But to leave you with something somewhat useful- I believe that God is Good. So whether or not we determine our lives or God determines our lives, I truly believe that He's in the process of redeeming this mess of a world we're in and that means that we find beauty in the ashes of our own sinfulness.

(Of course, you know this, because you know that Justice Hosea is an amazing gift- even in the midst of somewhat questionable circumstances!)

Tamara link

2/16/2009 10:36:51 pm

Hey buddy. I think this was well written. In some ways I agree and disagree. This is the best way I have heard described to me and understood the free will/God's will/predestination. Its in the Bible, so its true. As a parent, I can give Lillie/Seth the choice to obey me or disobey me in something. Sometimes, I know they are going to disobey me but giving them the choice is part of learning and growing them. The same with God. We are His children after all. Yes, bad things happen! Goodness, do they ever, we have encountered that ourselves too many times. And sometimes, there seems to be no reason in it. A lot of times it has seemed those things happened to us as a result of others (our sin does not just affect us). Yes, you need to be mad and upset and mourn, I dont think God ever intended us not to feel. Jesus Himself got angry. But, we do have to trust as His children that He has us in our hands and He is in control of it all. Thats what peace is all about. You can be completely ticked off and still have peace. His will is not for you to always be in this happy state. Being a Christian is hard, especially in the world we live in! We can trust He is in control and be mad about it. And to be in His will, you have to follow Him completely and ask Him to show you His will, I think.

Nathan link

2/16/2009 11:04:40 pm

Tamara,

These are good thoughts, but I'm curious- are you responding to the Blog or to the comments between me and Megan?

If you're responding to the Blog, I want to clarify that I think there's a difference between obedience/choices and circumstances.

In your example: when Lillie/Seth obey or disobey that's a situation where the free will vs. predestination issue may arise. But when they fall down and get hurt, however, that's not really the same situation.

My post was referring to situations where things happen TO us, rather than choices that we make.

The difference is as follows:
An earthquake happens TO us.
A lie is something we choose.

I was saying that we often want to look for the "meaning" when an earthquake (or a layoff, or an economic crisis, or whatever) happens. Sometimes, I think there's no particular meaning other than "well, this is the world we live in and it's NOT supposed to be this way."

I'm not saying that God doesn't use these circumstances or that they were out of His control- I'm just saying that I don't believe that everything that happens is necessarily because I, personally, need to have some sort of revelation or experience that draws me somewhere OTHER than where I am.

Sometimes things happen simply because we live in a fallen world where evil has been given limited power and sway. I think I need to be OK with that- not in the sense that I embrace evil or allow it to reign in my own life, but rather in the sense that when bad things happen I'm not always trying to make "lemonade" out of the lemons. It's OK to say, "wow, this sucks."

Otherwise, I get pretty self-centered thinking that God is orchestrating every event for my own personal benefit. And let's face it, with all the other billions of people here on earth- not everything is all about me!

Tbowick link

2/17/2009 06:01:20 am

I think all things working together for good for those who love him and are called according to his purposes does not so much say that he causes all the positive and negative things for good, so much as saying that he redeems all things to his purposes. Even the ones that are a result of bad choices, broken mankind, and sinful desires. Even the ones that are a result of weather patterns, and seemingly inanimate cosmological forces. I think he works them all for good regardless of the cause - whether free will or predestined, whether chosen or mechanical. Some hurt, some are unfair, some are senseless, some are for our edification - but in the end he draws good out of them and makes them a tool for his will.

Only he could take something as ugly and vile as the torturous, prolonged, unjust death of an innocent, loving man and use it to redeem all creation.

Mr. G

2/18/2009 05:29:18 am

I highly recommend the Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis which attempts to answer the age old question of "If God is good, why do bad things happen." It has an incredible analysis of the effects of free will on this imperfect world.

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Sometimes, $@&# Happens

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