When different events happen in our lives, expected and unexpected, good and bad, do we usually stop and ask the rhetorical question, “why me — why did this happen to me?” Do we let tragedy or disappointments push us away from God or does it draw us closer to Him? When we cannot explain why this event happened to us, do we curse God and shout out, “Where are you God?” Do we not trust God enough to believe He truly cares about us and what we’re going through? Do we ever ask God to help us process the event in our minds and try to accept His will?
The typical human response is that we desperately want answers for the unanswerable question – why? Despite the fact that in today’s highly technical world, we have access to literally more information in that handheld device (smartphone) than at anytime in history, it will not provide us the answers we desperately crave. We have to resign ourselves to the fact that we don’t have the answers, only God really knows the answer to why. He remains the single source for the answers we need for our lives.
Don’t you want to step out of the fray and ask God, “What am I supposed to learn from this experience?” In so many cases we just don’t know why, but perhaps gaining a new insight or perspective may prove helpful down the road of life. We desperately seek the answer to the unanswerable to bring us comfort, but the explanation never comes. It’s a harsh reality to learn that life isn’t fair. Nevertheless, do we ever ponder that it might be God’s plan for our life so the events we are experiencing is a way to get us closer to Him? In many cases, this is a very hard pill to swallow, especially when it deals with our loved ones.
These types of events in our lives put us at a crossroads or fork in the road of life. At that crossroads location is where we choose which path to take moving forward in how we respond to these life-changing events. One pathway leads us into the darkness of anger, despair, distrust, helplessness, and hopelessness. The other pathway leads us into the light of encouragement, trust, understanding, perseverance, faith, guidance and hope. The challenge is that life will not allow us to remain standing at the crossroads for very long. That stoplight will turn green and push us to move.
God has blessed us all with an innate self-preservation mechanism referred to as “fight/flight/freeze”. In stressful situations (example – a grizzly bear is quickly approaching you), you can stand your ground and fight (good luck unless you have a big gun), you can turn and run away (good luck there too since most bears can outrun a human), or you can stay frozen in position, where you are either paralyzed by or oblivious to the threat (good luck with the bear perceiving you as an inanimate object or “play toy”). These are the only three choices you have. Life goes on, and we will move along with it whether we like it or not.
Grief, anger, discouragement, and hopelessness take us into the darkness. But God is the light that leads us to trust, guidance, encouragement, faith, and hope. Our free will allows us to choose. Choose, we must, but choices have lasting consequences for our lives in small measure, as well as large. To have life in abundance, we must choose the light of God and everything He brings with it.
So many people expend a great deal of time and effort pondering that rhetorical question (why me?) that has no answer as to why things happen in their life. Perhaps instead of asking ourselves that “why me” question, we should realize that stuff just happens in life that we did not cause, cannot control, or cannot cure. Bad things happen to all of us. For me, I’ve learned to use the Serenity Prayer to bring a certain level of closure to what’s going on around me that appears to be out of control. “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.”
Sometimes acceptance is the only pathway to peace. When Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6), He is revealing that He is the only thing that makes sense when nothing else does to answer the “why me?” questions in our life’s journey. Let go and let God happen in your life to bring peace to your heart, mind, and soul.
Live, Love, and Grow in Jesus!!
Blessings,
Jerry
