Why do bad things happen to good people?
Why do good things happen to bad people?
Why does everything happen?
Then somebody says, “Why not?”

The world is messed up.
People are messed up.
So we’re basically left comparing ourselves with others.
If we think we’re better than others, we’re the good people, and we deserve better things.
If we think some people are not as good as ourselves, they’re the bad people, and they deserve worse things.

If we’re in the top half (or quarter) of people with good things happening to us, we’re likely to think it’s because we’re better than others.
We may not actually say we’re better—we may say (or believe) we made better choices because we’re smarter.
Most people with more good things happening have trouble understanding most people below them in the world.
Most people with more good things happening think that people below them should come up in the world by doing what they do.

It is tempting for anyone to think that other people’s lives should be ‘fixed’ if they listened to our advice, because we’re ‘successful.’
When someone is clearly overloaded with ‘more than their share’ of bad, others with much more good in their lives don’t know what to do.
So they try to explain it without being able to relate.
Any of us can communicate loud and clear that we think we’re better than those in trouble on top of trouble.

Can we care—when we can’t explain?
Can we help—when we can’t fix?
Can we accept—when we’re uncomfortable?
Can we encourage—when we don’t have answers?
Can we touch—when we understand that we’re not better, really?
Can we pray with someone—when we don’t have anything to give?
Can we show, and tell, the love of Jesus, to anyone?
Jesus “went about doing good, because God was with Him.”
And then He told us to “Go and do likewise.”

To my memory of Daddy.