After learning about the loss of a friend last night, I have really been reflecting on why things happen whether good or bad and what God is trying to teach us through the really difficult times. The reality is, there is no answer. I was reminded of Job and his story back in December, about a month after I lost my cousin, and it has resonated with me ever since. Job 1:1 says, "In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil." Job was, in our terms, a perfect man. He had everything he could ever want until he lost everything--his children, wife, all except 4 servants, and all his livestock. Through the whole ordeal, he never cursed God. Job 2:10 says, "He replied, 'you are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?". This is so true--Job has an excellent point! There is no point in accepting good from God if we don't accept the bad. The two go hand in hand--God gives good to those who love Him. Sometimes He has to give hard and difficult things to the ones He loves to make them trust Him more. This is something I need to remind myself of daily because I expect God to give me only good things but I forget that you can't have good unless you have bad. It's kind of like playing a sport. Say you play basketball and you win every single game and never lose. After a while, winning will get old and the joy of beating the other team will go away because you are used to it. You will feel like there is no need to practice anymore because you feel guaranteed a win. That's how it is if God only gave good all the time. We would become accustomed to receiving only good things which will probably make us feel like we don't need God anymore because we are so positive that things will always go our way. God has to give some bad in order for us to come to Him and rely on Him alone and no one/nothing else.

We will never truly understand of be able to comprehend how amazing God is or even why He allows things to happen in our lives. We just have to trust Him and know that it is for the best.

Rest In Peace, Kate C.