For the sake of Christ.

Why do bad things happen to good people?


To relate to and comfort others.
"So that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have recieved from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows."


To glorify God.
"For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities."


To experience God's power.
"My Grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."


To draw close to God.
"Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel."



To build character.
"We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope."

God Sets the Lonely in Families.

So here's the plan: Grow up, get married, and have kids. But how many? Boys or girls? There are sooo many choices. And since, of course, we have complete control over what we get, let's pick! Hmm...nineteen kids all with names starting with the letter J, one boy and one girl, a car full of little football players, a buncha barbie dolls with one boy to keep the sanity...ahhh the possibilities are endless.

Now obviously God is the one up in heaven picking out each of our little families. I can just picture him up in heaven, with little paper dolls, creating the perfect little families for us. And while we all wish we had complete control, srsly...it's probably better that we don't! God's the one that created us. He knows the desires of our heart, and what we want, even more than we do! That's why he conjured up the idea of families in the first place. He knows that we all need people around us to love or we would always feel alone.

"God sets the lonely in families." Psalm 68:6