life stinks

Upon occasion, bad things happen outside our control. It's true, sometimes life stinks and when life stinks, we loose faith in God and we ask why. Why did this happen to me? - Do you really love me God? - God do you really exist? Then the if only's start - if only I had talked to so and so before they died or if only I had prayed more or if only I would have worked harder, I wouldn't have lost my job. And then the guilt sets in and we think - this bad thing happened because I have not been reading my bible lately - or - I haven't gone to church - or - because I had bad thoughts about this person - or - this happened because of my sin - it's all my fault.

We all process bad things in various ways and often it's blaming others, God or ourselves or all three.

In John chapter 11, it tells about Lazereth, a friend of Jesus' that got sick and died. In verses 32-35 it says:

When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. "Where have you laid him?" he asked. "Come and see, Lord," they replied. Jesus wept.

Even bad things happened in Jesus' life and in this instance Mary thought it best to blame Jesus for not being there when they needed him the most. However, the grief and pain she experienced was real AND the grief and pain Jesus experienced was real. He knows what it's like to be you. He knows we are living in a fallen and corrupt world and sometimes life stinks.

The thing is, Jesus cries with us, he hurts with us, he is beside us and in him we can be comforted knowing someday he will wipe away every tear and there will be no more sorrow and no more pain.

But, not yet.