Life: Tough

Reverend Fred Winters sounds like a class-act guy. Winters graduated with his Bachelors from Southwestern Baptist Seminary, his masters from Wheaton College, and his Ph.D from Southern Baptist Seminary. He has pastored his church for over 20 years and also taught at Midwestern Baptist Seminary. Perhaps his greatest milestones in life are his wife and children. To be sure, his church and family loved him.

Earlier today life was very routine, I would imagine, for Reverend Fred Winters and his family. No more. As quick as a gun trigger can be pulled everything changed. Reverend Winters took a shot in the chest leaving his family with a shot in their hearts. Church members and law officers are dumb-founded as to why such hostile actions occured. Nonetheless, for a community, church body, and family life took on a whole new meaning today. Here's a link to the story: http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=7033937&page=1

It breaks my heart.

Why does God allow such devastating events to happen in our lives? Why does it always seem that just when we get a grip on things life gets slippery? What goes through the minds of men and women who justify committing such unthinkable crimes against others?

Questions always tend to outnumber answers. There are aspects to this life that don't make sense - things we wish we could change. But no matter. We serve an incredibly sovereign, just, good, and loving Father who always knows what is absolutely best for us. Always.

Romans 8:28 - And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.

It is impossible for me to make sense of this incident. I simply can't fathom taking another person's life. There is no way I could approach a family who has experienced an event of this magnitude and to tell them that they just need to "find the good in this" or that "everything will be just fine." But as my pastor says, "Jesus is about more than just the good stuff - the miracles, the blessings, and the eternity in heaven - He's also about the Cross." And as tough as the Cross is, we must find a way to embrace our own in service to our King. Life is tough and I'm not denying that, but I believe with all my heart that even in the painfully difficult moments God is good.