Why Do Bad Things Happen?

I’m sure you’ve seen pictures and news reports of natural disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis and the havoc they cause.  If you’re like me, you probably wonder why these disasters happen and wipe out so many innocent people, including small children.  Did these people do something wrong to deserve these disasters?

The Bible helps explain the answers to questions such as these.  Genesis 1:1 says: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”  This is where the problem for many people comes in.  God is good, just, and merciful, and since God created the world, people think it should be perfect.  That is not the case at all.  You see, when God first created the world, He placed two people – Adam and Eve – in it and told them, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die” (Genesis 2:16b-17).   So, God made a perfect world, but He also allowed Adam and Eve the choice of whether or not they would obey Him.  Sadly, Adam and Eve chose to eat the forbidden fruit and thus were banished from the beautiful garden that was their home.  Their bodies began to age, and the earth was cursed.

This is why natural disasters cause the death of so many people.  When Adam and Eve took the fruit, they brought sin into the world, and caused all their descendants – that’s you and me – to live under the effects of sin.  Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  Because we all sin, we also deserve death and separation from God.  Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death…”  We all deserve to die and be separated from God.  But God provided a way so we can have a relationship with Him.  He sent His Son Jesus to die in our place on the cross.  Jesus took our punishment so we wouldn’t have to.  This doesn’t mean we will never die – because of sin, we all must experience death – but now, because of Jesus, we can have a relationship with God.  After we die we have the opportunity to spend eternity in heaven with God where there will be no more suffering or pain.  All you have to do to start a relationship with God is to pray and ask Him to enter your life and make you a new person.

Judging Others

Everyone has a first impression of anyone else they meet.  First impressions may sometimes be accurate, but unfortunately they are based solely on what the eye can see.  My first impression of my friend Joy lasted for quite sometime at the start of our friendship.  This led to incorrect assumptions on both our parts, and limited how well we really know each other.  In order to avoid misjudging someone, we must get to know them before developing an opinion of them.  We should seek to do what’s best for our friends.  A person’s outside appearance is not a good gauge as to what is inside their heart.

Holding onto first impressions can lead to dangerous assumptions about the other person.  We have a tendency to look only at what is outside, unlike God who sees straight into our hearts (1 Sam. 16:17).  For a long time, I only saw the outside of Joy.  She was talented, smart, and godly.  She seemed like the “perfect” girl.  This first impression of Joy intimidated me.

Getting to know someone before making assumptions will prevent unfair misjudgments.  After sharing my testimony with Joy, and telling her some of the things I had struggled with and that God had brought me through, she was compelled to share her own story with me.  It was then that I realized that Joy is not a superhuman; she is just a normal girl like me.   This helped eliminate awkwardness and caused our friendship to blossom.

When becoming friends with someone, we should seek to do what is best for them.  Philippians 2:4 says we should look “to the interests of others”.  This means we must be frank and honest with one another, and be willing to point out each other’s faults and hold one another accountable.  Joy and I have had to do this for each other.

It is never a good idea to form an opinion of someone based on their outward appearance, because we may often find their heart to be different than what is outside.  Joy and I became close friends once we broke down those walls of preconceived judgments about each other.  Then I saw Joy for who she really is inside, the way God sees her.

Is there someone you're judging?  My advice is this: get to know the person before you jump to a conclusion about them.  Talk to them.  Spend time with them.  Get to know more about them.  Often you will find people to be different than your first impression of them.

"More Beautiful You"

Here's a link to a music video with the song "More Beautiful You" by Jonny Diaz: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNqQUojBg84&feature=related 

Don't ever think you're not pretty because you don't measure up to the world's standard of beauty.  Perfect body, perfect smile, perfect image, will all fade away one day.  When we stand before God, He won't care about what we looked like back on earth; it won't matter to Him if you ever reached the world's definition of "beautiful".  1 Samuel 16:7 says: "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.  Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

God wants you to have a beautiful heart and a close relationship with Him rather than spending all your time worrying about your outward beauty.  The truth is, you don't need to change how you look, because God handcrafted you and made you just the way He wanted you to be!  And He is the One can give you a beautiful heart that desires to seek His face.  Enjoy the video.

It's All About Your Relationship with God

“The Bible is God’s love letter to us…[Christianity] isn’t about rules, it’s about relationship.”

This was a quote my pastor started his sermon with today.  For the last several weeks he has been talking about rest.  Too often we get this idea that our walk with God is about following a list of rules and being able to say we have our quiet time “checked off our list” for the day; but really, following Christ is a relationship.

We’ve talked about beauty, modesty and crushes, and I want to present to you some practical steps to begin purifying your life.  First, you need to get your heart right with God.  If you have never accepted God as your Lord and Savior, now is a great day to do that!  You can click on the page “What Do I Do Now?” or feel free to e-mail us at sistersinchrist.girlz@gmail.com.

Second, evaluate your relationship with God.  Perhaps there's sin your life you need to get rid of.  Maybe your relationship with God isn't where you'd like it to be.  If so, my next question is: Do you have a consistent quiet time?  You may feel like when you spend time with God you do it just to "check it off your list".  But that doesn't mean that your quiet time isn't strengthening your walk with Christ.  It's teaching you discipline and that you need God even when you don't feel like it.  Your quiet time and relationship with God will affect your entire life – the way you think, act and feel.

Life is crazy for those of us living in modern America.  Our schedules are so cram packed we hardly have time to catch our breath.  Yet God calls us as Christians to live our lives quietly before Him; we should not only pray, but also spend time in quiet meditation, waiting to hear God’s voice.  This is where you will be empowered to overcome sin in your life.  It is where you will receive the strength you don’t have, encouragement when you need it, and love when you feel lonely or afraid.

Every Christian needs a regular quiet time.  We need this time, not only for our benefit and because God commands it, but because God loves us and wants a relationship with us.  The Bible describes Him like a husband, jealous for our time as well as our love.  Find a time of the day and a place where you can get away from the noise and pressures of life.  Spend time in silence reading your Bible, journaling, and just being quiet and waiting to hear God's voice.

Even if you don’t feel like God is there, keep meeting with God on a daily basis!  Like my pastor pointed out, God does not shout.  He whispers.  The only way we will hear His voice is by being still before Him and listening for that still small voice.  You also have to be patient and wait for Him – you may even have to wait years, but eventually, you will hear Him speak.  You need only be still.  Take the time to spend with God.  He is worth every minute.