I Know Who You Are

Yesterday, a seemingly senseless act left the United States stunned, reeling, crying, and praying.  Parents, spouses, aunts, uncles, grandparents . . . everyone went home and hugged their loved ones a little tighter and made sure they really knew how much they were loved.

When I woke up this morning, I began to think about the aftermath of an event like this.  As Christians, we more often than not hear the question, "If God is (good, all powerful, in control) then why did He allow this?"    Its one of the toughest questions we have had to answer.  We, as Christians, hear your question, and we are as confused as you are.  The truth is, we don't know why this happened, we have no idea what is going on - and cannot answer a question that we are not meant to answer.  

What we do know (biblically) is this . . . 

• Sin is a uniquely human problem, and entered the world through our race. (Genesis 3, Romans 5:12)  God is not responsible for the evil, awful things that humanity is capable of.  We alone are responsible for our behavior.  
• We know WHO GOD IS and that God cannot act in contradiction with His character (James 1:16-18).
• God loves us and we cannot be separated from that love (Romans 8:38-39).  
• God desires good for His children. (Jeremiah 29:11). 
• God knows all about us and is always with us. (Ps. 139)
• If you believe in Christ's work on the cross, God is your father and considers you his child. (Galatians 3:26)

And the part that hit me the hardest, as a parent, is the reality of the story of Christ.  God is no stranger to what it feels like to lose a child.  This month we celebrate the birth of His son on Earth, His short life of 33 years, and in March we will mourn and celebrate His death.  God watched His son walk where we walk for 33 years and allowed Him to be put to death on a cross to save us.  Just let that sink in a second.  He went through what we are all crying for, and did not stop it because He had a plan - a plan that ultimately led to saving humanity.  He did not intervene when His own son was put to death because He knew the plan, He knew the outcome, and He cared so much for US that He could not allow US to spend forever without Him, even if it meant going through the worst thing a parent should ever have to do.  He is no stranger to the grief of those in Connecticut, and I am sure He mourns with them right now.

So, the best answer I can offer to the question of "Why did God . . . ?" is this:  I don't know what He is doing, or what His plan is, but I know who He is.  And who He is, is what I choose to cling to right now.

If you are interested, there is a song released yesterday by artist JJ Heller that very appropriately explains, exactly what I am trying to say.  You can download it for free on her website.  Its a zip file of several songs, but the song that you are looking for is "Who You Are".

Being continually molded,

Sarah