Why bad things happen to good people and others!

As most of you know, in March last year we lost our very much loved and wanted baby girl at 13 hours old …

From that time we have wrestled with this question.  Why us?  We have done our best to follow God, why did He take our baby?

People have unhelpfully told us that is was because we were not following God “the right way”!  Man that hurt!  We searched our hearts over those comments!  Couldn’t make sense of them!  As far as we knew we were following God the way He wanted us to.

I have been thinking recently that God sends his rain on the just and the unjust … and he also allows the storms and the tornados too!!

This week, as I was looking through books at a second hand shop I came across “Where is God when it Hurts” by Philip Yancey.  He has some insight into why bad things happen and why it’s NOT because we have sinned and God is punishing us.

“The old testament is replete with reward punishment type of thinking and presents life in terms of this principle: “do good get rewarded, do bad get punished”.  However, I do not believe the principle applies in precisely the same way today….”

“There is a huge difference between the sufferings most of us encounter, and the suffering as punishment described in the old testament. There, punishment follows repeated warnings against specific behaviour.  To be effective, in fact, punishment requires a clear tie to behaviour…. the people of Israel knew why they were being punished; the prophets had warned them in excruciating detail…

“Biblical examples of suffering as punishment tend to fit a pattern, the pain comes after much warning and no one sits around afterward asking, “why?” They know very well why they are suffering.  Does that pattern resemble what happens to most us today? Do we get a direct revelation from God warning us of a coming catastrophe? Does personal suffering come packaged with a clear explanation from God?”

Over the past couple of months, when I’ve finally got back into reading my Bible and slowly working our way out of depression, I have taken great comfort from the book of Job.  Here we have a scene in heaven where the devil approaches God and God asks the devil if he’d thought about Job!  The devil replied that Job was a righteous man only because God had a hedge of protection around him and he couldn’t touch him!  So God removed the hedge of protection and allowed the devil to attack Job.  In one day Job went from being a rich man to having NOTHING!

Had Job sinned? Was God punishing Job?  NO!  Job had not sinned and it was not punishment!  It was showing that Job was righteous not just because God was protecting him, but Job was righteous by choice.  When he lost everything, he did not curse God!  He remained righteous!  After it was all over God blessed Job more than before!

I admit we’ve been angry with God over the death our our little girl.  I admit that I have blamed God! I admit I’m not as righteous as Job! I have asked God’s forgiveness for this and feel a peace about it.

I don’t believe God took our baby!  I don’t believe we had sinned! I don’t believe it was God punishing us!  As I said in a previous post God Absolved our guilt and took our punishment when he died on the cross!  Amen!!

 

When there was only one set of footprints,
it was then that I carried you.

Absolution

So my Nephew is starring in a new film called Absolution … it started me thinking about what this word means … so I looked it up …

ab·so·lu·tion

noun

1.  act of absolving; a freeing from blame or guilt; release from consequences, obligations, or penalties.

2.  state of being absolved.

3.  Roman Catholic Theology .

a. a remission of sin or of the punishment for sin, made by a priest in the sacrament of penance on the ground of authority received from Christ.

b. the formula declaring such remission.

4. Protestant Theology . a declaration or assurance of divine forgiveness to penitent believers, made after confession of sins.

It started me thinking about parenting and how we can either forgive our children or absolve them.  If Jesus is the pattern we are following … he didn’t just forgive us our sins He absolved them when he died on the cross.  We are freed from blame and guilt.  We are released from consequences, obligations and penalties when we ask for His forgiveness.

We have made it a principle in our family for many years, that if a child tells us the truth then they are freed from blame and guilt!  Taking it a step further … children don’t need us to add a punishment when they come to us asking for forgiveness.  The obviously already feel guilt for what they have done! We can show them Jesus by freeing them from that guilt.  Absolution!! 

Free Range Kids

So I’ve been reading the book “Free Range Kids” at the library this week … only half way through so bare with me!

What do you think of when you see a sign like this one which we saw at the local playground in Broken Hill.  Does it make you feel like letting your kids play here? Or does it instil fear?

Signs like this are at all the playgrounds in Broken Hill.  I’ve never seen them anywhere else.  Ok, so I know the reason for the signs the council is covering their backside because of the increase in crazy law suits! 

As we travel round we occasionally come across an old fashioned playground with tall slides, see-saw’s and merry-go-rounds!  Our kids love it!  Mr 2 loves to climb to the top of the slide and swing out over it!  Didn’t you do that?  We have been so conditioned to “protect” our children from they slightest knock!

Here are some pictures of our kids enjoying a free range life!

Jireh riding the motorbike!!

 

Kids playing in the dirt!

 

Having fun in the local shopping mall car park!

 

Swinging on a chain ladder!

 

All aboard!!!!

 

 

Swimming in the sea!

We are all about safety!  The girls who are in swimming are all confident swimmers .. the younger ones all stayed within their depth with an adult or confident swimming sibling close by.  When they were running round the car park, it was when most of the shops were closed for the day and not many cars were moving.

Round up of March 12, 2012

I’m so glad it’s over for another year!  We made pancakes for breakfast, made and iced a cake, and the girls and dogs did some routines.

The girls kept themselves busy most of the day … trying to keep their minds on ‘other’ things.

 

On a brighter note …

Had a good thunder and lightening storm today and a bit of rain too.  The girls and Jireh had fun running up and down the footpath.  We haven’t had much rain all summer so it was a treat!

The rainbow after the storm!

From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord’s name is to be praised! Psalm 113 v 3

\

Only God knows why

Serenity, oh how we miss you, what would you be doing now you’re one?

Serenity, oh how we miss you, what would you be doing now you’re one?

Would you be walking, talking, playing with your toys?

Would you still be crawling, and filing us with joy?

Oh Serenity, how we miss you, what would you be doing now you’re one?

You left so soon, we didn’t really get to know you,

You left so soon, we don’t know why,

You left so soon, we still really miss you

You left so soon, to heaven you did fly.

 

Oh Serenity, what colour are your eyes,

Oh Serenity, what colour is your hair,

Oh Serenity, you’re leaving left lots of whys

Oh Serenity, we miss you being here!

We were a family of 10, for all of 13 hours,

We were a family of 10, oh how we miss that baby

We were a family of 10, now left with only flowers

We were a family of 10, it was not so to be

An Oasis in the Desert

 

Lake Cullulleraine in Victoria’s north west is a lovely place.  With picnic area right on the lake front it was our place of choice for a late lunch.

There were trees for shade and lots of green grass (with no prickles!)

The children and the dogs had a great time in and out of the water!