Thursday, December 11, 2014

Also from Sandy's Service.......The Big Why?


The Big Why?
 
Why did God let this happen to Sandy?  I know this is a question on a lot of hearts and minds right now, and it worries me - especially for my kids and believers.  Interestingly enough, I never heard Sandy ask this question.  To me, it’s one of the most troubling questions in human experience.  Sandy didn’t ask it because she knew better, and she knew her Bible.  She steeled herself against the assault of her cancer, and felt that she had prepared for it all of her life.  Cancer was her opportunity to minister to all of you, and she believed that it was her purpose to do so.  Sandy’s attitude was that God could save her, but if not, she would serve him anyway right up until her last breath.

Now I’m not a theologian, or even remotely qualified to address the big why question with you.  I could talk about free will, or sin in a fallen world, and you’d walk away confused and disappointed.  Let me simply say that there are things in this world that we are just not going to understand in this lifetime.  Nowhere in the scriptures does it say that having faith in God guarantees you a happy, carefree life - quite the opposite.  Trust me, I’ve looked.  Sometimes God just doesn’t make sense to us.  You just don’t get enough information to figure it all out.  Maybe that’s by design?  Who are we to demand explanations?  Who are we to lean on our own understanding?  You can’t turn loose of your faith, because the alternative is despair, and that would dishonor Sandy’s legacy and all that she stood for.

Sandy understood the biblical response to death, and that God views death very differently than we do.  It is not a disaster, but a triumph for the believer.  As hard as this is for all of us, Sandy knew she was going to be far better off in the next world, than in this one.  As a believer in Jesus Christ, she knew that death is a transition to the unfathomable joys and fellowship of eternal life.  That’s why we try and celebrate today. 

On behalf of my family, I want to thank you for being here and for all of the love, support, and kindness you have shown us.  We love you.  

                                                                                                                    Jon