I do feel a deep sense of love and amazement when I look at my daughter. I also see really terrible things in the world and I wonder how a loving God could let such horrible things take place.
Hello Lucy,
I think that a lot of people can relate with this feeling;
if God is good, then why do bad things happen. It's a perfectly reasonable question to think about and, fortunately, it has a reasonable answer as well.
Naturally, we all would prefer that bad things never happened in the world and that we could enjoy life without the thorns of disappointment, pains of tragedy, and suffering that is associated with loss. To live in an oasis of joy and peace would be a welcome comfort indeed!
Unfortunately, this was exactly what God also had in mind for His people and humanity has since taken that gift and done horrid things to it. You might remember from your earlier church years that when God first created the world He did so with the intent that humankind would be able to enjoy creation while also enjoying perfect unity with God. In order for this unity to be a true relationship, however, there had to be an element of free-will; otherwise God's creation would simply be robotic followers without any choice in the matter.
In response to this, God instilled in humanity the ability to make the choice to consciously obey God, thereby enjoying the benefits of His creation as He intended, or to wilfully rebel. Unfortunately, we chose to rebel and as a result "sin" entered the world. I'm not sure what your level of biblical background is so I hope you'll forgive me if I add information you may already know.
Sin refers to the act of wilful disobedience against the decrees of God, and as the Bible points out in Romans 6:23 the penalty for sin is death. For us to understand this properly we need to clarify that this is referring, not to a physical death, but rather a spiritual death (separation) from our relationship with God, that cannot be overcome by any deeds we enact on our own - which is why Jesus ends up being so important.
Once sin became a part of the world, God's perfect creation became marred by the effects of this impurity. God explains to Adam that his labor will become hard and that the ground would grown thorns. Likewise, Eve was told that her experience in childbirth would become painful and difficult. Basically, because of the effects of sin God's creation had become, in a word, unbalanced.
In our world today we still struggle with the effects of these actions so long ago. God's creation is still in a state of waiting to be re-balanced; which is one of the things that Christians wait for with anticipation. In the meantime we still suffer from sinful behaviour (our own and that of others), natural phenomenon, and other dreadful things.
It would be easy to push the blame off on God and ask "Why doesn't He just stop all this?", but the truth is that God not only gave us a wonderful gift in the first place (which humanity disregarded), but more importantly that He has made a way for His creation to be made whole again, starting with His most important consideration, namely, humankind.
Jesus becomes such an important figure in the biblical narrative because this is exactly the role that He serves for humankind. It wasn't just the Earth that feels the affects of sin, but also each and every person. Romans 3:23 tells us that "everyone has sinned" and Isaiah 53:6 explains that "like sheep" we have all turned away from God and gone our own way, so in a sense we're all out-of-balance. Naturally, God is not well-pleased with this and so allowed His Son, Jesus, to serve as a means for humankind to be redeemed and put back in balance; even though the world could still do with some sorting out.
By accepting the fact that Jesus paid the penalty for humanity's sin debt, and seeking the forgiveness of God (not because of anything we have done, but solely based on the charity of Christ) we have the God-given opportunity to be made whole and as God intended us to be.
Naturally, this doesn't mean that we no longer suffer, but it does mean that through the gift of Christ, we are able to be fully alive again (physical and spiritual) and thus have our proper relationship with God restored as He intended. The Bible does explain that there will come a day when the world also will be put to rights and so that's something that we have to look forward to. In the mean time God works in the lives of His people to call them to repentance (seeking a restored relationship with God through Christ) and giving every opportunity for them to be made whole again.
I hope that this is helpful, and also gives you some things to think about. If you're interested in speaking more I'd be happy to continue to conversation. Cheers.
-Carrington
P.S. - I have a daughter named Lucy and I can completely relate with that feeling of deep love and amazement when I see her! It makes me consider, if I love my children this much, how much more does God care for His own people!
His word is also available to all who would humbly seek to know and understand and pray for guidance. In it He does show His love for us, as He died for us so that we may be saved. This world and everything in it will one day pass away, as terrible as it is. But God will remain, and His word will remain. He always loves us.
