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
