WHY?

“My grandma died,” said Robert. “I don’t understand why”

Robert showed up at our Monday night Bible study for the first time. New members are asked a few questions regarding their spiritual life.

“I used to go to church,” Robert told us. His grandma took him. Her death caused him to collide with the why-question; then he chose to quit attending.

The Bible has a passage I gravitate towards when life roughs me up. “We know that all things work together for good to those that love God, to those who are the called according His purpose.”

As the meeting wound down, the conversation slid back to Robert’s “why” question. I shared the “all things verse.” To break the chill off it, I revisited part of my day.

When I left home to come to the meeting, I said goodbye to my wife who had bronchitis for over a week. She was resting again as she struggled to make it through the day. My next stop was my mom’s. Three miles from her house I got a speeding ticket. In my mind I’m thinking: “Yeah, I was speeding, but this is like a speed trap.”

And I still needed to visit my mom. Sick for most of the year, her looks jarred my mind: “She could die soon.” She assured me she would be alright as I left.

Telling Robert the unpredictable, troubling circumstances of my day, I realized it’s not a question of “why.” I trust that God’s awesome love and faithfulness are without doubt—always present.

Robert, you quit . . . God didn’t. Go after God with your whole heart, soul, mind and strength. Then His eternal love and grace will transcend you to a place where it’s no longer a “why?” But, “Wow, I see God working in this!”