Have you ever had something bad happen to you and wonder why? Why should bad things be allowed in this world?

Why me?
Why them?
They’re my best friend, such a wonderful person. They don’t deserve that!

In the midst of tragedy it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and dismayed. Even to blame God. Afterall, he allowed this to happen!

Previous Conclusions to Bad Things

More theological minds than mine have delved into this question and come up with answers. Most of them conclude with set ideas about God.

1. God is all-powerful (omnipotent) and has allowed this to happen. Therefore, he must be a mean God.

2. God is kind and loving and yet these bad things happened. Therefore, he must be a weak God.

Both of these conclusions, lead believers to despair and to turn away from God, for who would want to worship a mean God or a weak God? Not me!

A Trite Reply

Have you ever been through a terrible time and a loving friend says “Romans 8:28, you know.” Or maybe they phrased it like this, “Remember all things work together for good.”

You’re neck deep in tears and struggling to even breathe, and they say that? What good is it?

It doesn’t take into consideration your pain, your struggle. Let alone the fact that your faith may be at its weakest. You may be fumbling to grasp the concept that God is good, that he even loves you! And they say all things work together for good?

It’s about like the scene in The Princess Bride where Miracle Max says, “While you’re at it, why don’t you give me a nice paper cut and pour lemon juice on it?”

A Better Conclusion for Bad Things

While your friend probably wasn’t trying to be trite, what they said was true, they just didn’t dig deeper. The answer to why bad things happen to good people is found in the verse following Romans 8:28.

That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.

God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son.

Romas 8:28-29 MSG

Did you catch the why to our trials and sufferings? To make us into the image of his son! Every single bad thing that happens to me is there to make me more like Jesus!

If you have time, I encourage you to read the full passage from the Message Bible.

Bad Things, Good People, and Resolved

Poor Siobhan. She’s a princess who’s locked into an arranged marriage–one that was arranged without her even knowing! Besides that she’s abducted–not once but twice! This leaves her with PTSD, a husband who knows nothing of statecraft, and then she becomes a mother while her PTSD has been triggered.

If that wasn’t enough, her husband thinks she’s better off without her, leaving her to rule a nation and raise a daughter. At least he left his Captain of the Royal Guard for her.

As her heart heals, she finds she may be able to love again, but war looms over her nation–again her fears haunt her. An evil mage attacks her, and she heads out to battle.

Didn’t she have enough trouble? Why would I put her through all that?

As a discovery author I could say that the story wrote itself, but in reality, my subconscious decided to pen out a treatise on why bad things happen to good people in novel form. I didn’t set out to do so, but that’s what happened.

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As you struggle through life’s trials, I hope this will help you. It’s not meant in a trite way. In fact, I’ve been there really questioning whether or not God was good. It was Frank Peretti’s words from Realm Makers 2021 that kept me going. I can still see him on stage as he said:

We’re God’s sheep. He’s the good shepherd. We see his back and his staff and follow him. Rarely does he turn around and say, “Sheep, this is where we’re going, because….” But when he does, listen up! No matter what, follow the staff.

We follow believing that he is good! Just like Aslan, he’s not a tame lion, but he’s good.