A young mother dies of cancer while an alcoholic murderer lives to be 90. A couple struggles to raise a child with mental challenges, despite a lifetime of spiritual devotion. At first glance, life seems to be full of paradoxical contradictions that appear to deny the existence of a loving God. 

But there is an answer to this question. 

The Bible tells us that our idea and God’s idea of a “good” person are not synonymous. Jesus said outright that the only truly good Person is God (Mark 10:18). We’re all flawed, born into a condition whose weaknesses are evident each day of our life. 

But God doesn’t want us to stay that way.

Because He loves us, He wants to make us like Himself, to eradicate the glaring imperfections in our lives by the secret workings of His divine purpose. 

To accomplish this end-goal, God often allows tough circumstances to mark our life’s journey. Illness, tragic loss, sometimes even personal failure—things we are quick to label as “bad.” But if we can look beyond the pain, we will quickly see one life-altering truth:

the situation is not as important as our reaction to it.

In my newly-released novel, In the Shadow of Your Wings,  Eleanor Thompson—a mother whose child is tragically killed in a German air strike during World War 1—teaches us the power of an attitude that remains God-centered despite life’s challenges. 

If we cling to our faith in God, despite the pain, guilt or fear that confronts us, we will become stronger. We will break through, shatter chains and emerge from the gloom a little closer to Him than ever before.  

Just as the potter puts a work of art into the kiln so its true beauty can be seen, so God allows situations that, while painful, reveal our true potential. But that all depends on if we choose to continue to believe instead of rebel. 

Why do bad things happen to good people? 

So that flawed people can finally become truly good. 

Live inspired,

JP Robinson

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Discover the power of FAITH.  Read In the Shadow of Your Wings