A Gentle God for Heavy Hearts

Sometimes the only way God can show us He is in control is to put us in situations we can't control. Steven Furtick

I vividly remember in sixth grade, sitting in science class, one of my classmates raised her hand and asked an earth-shattering question that I had never wondered:

"If God loves us so much, why do bad things happen?"

A lot of feelings washed over me--confusion, anger, sadness--all rooted in the basic concept I knew and valued: God is so good. But I found myself questioning it after; I began overthinking. Later that night, I googled it (because Google was all my sixth-grade self could comprehend at the time) and found a comforting analogy.

The way this person described it was similar to a board game. We are given rules and instructions to follow, but it is up to us to follow them. If we do not follow the rules, we lose the game, or we get lost. If we do follow the rules, we win. Now, let's say we follow the rules, and we still somehow lose. That is where a lot of Christians get stumped. We follow God; we follow His word, yet bad things happen. But maybe that's where the board-game analogy shifts. In God's "game," following the rules doesn't guarantee that every roll of the dice goes our way. It doesn't mean every card drawn will be good or that every path will feel like progress. Sometimes we follow God faithfully and still land on the spaces that set us back, cost us something, or feel unfair. The difference is this: in God's "game," losing a round doesn't mean the game is over. The setbacks aren't signs of failure--they're part of the story He's writing. Even when the board seems stacked against us, He sits across the table, guiding, steadying, and reminding us that He sees the whole game, not just this move. And because He is that good, He can turn even the losses into a path that leads us forward.

Bad things happen, absolutely, and you are allowed to be hurt and disappointed, but God meets us in pain. I've said this countless times, and will continue to stand by this. God uses our pain as a tool to lead us closer to Him. He doesn't do this with ill intent. He does it because He wants us to look to him, to trust in Him in the midst of chaos. Because let's be so real, our battle isn't ours to face alone. In Exodus 14:14, it says, The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.

The most comforting thing I tell myself when I feel down or if I am losing grip in a situation is, God is using this to open my eyes, and there is a reason for this pain. In your worst battle, whether it is regarding your physical or mental health, within your relationships, or battling internal convictions, there is always something good that comes out of it. You have to look for it, and I mean really look for it. When you can take a crappy situation and somehow grow from it, it was never a crappy situation; it was a learning experience. How in the world are you supposed to grow as an individual if you are not handed heavy letdowns? God uses these disappointing times in hopes that we go and talk to Him. And when we gain that comfort, because we always do when it comes to Him, we make it more of a habit to speak to Him.

God never promised a life free of pain. John 16:33 says it perfectly: I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. It is foolish of us to believe we will live a life free of pain--free will exists, and it is evident. Medical tribulations exist, and they are brutally unfair. Your identity in Christ is shown in how you handle your predicament--do you flood the room with love or anger?

So, if I were to answer the question asked in my sixth-grade science class, I would say:

We focus so much on "Why does God bring us pain," and less on how He faithfully carries us through pain and leads us into something good.