Reflection Paper

According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of evil is someone morally reprehensible, causing harm or injury to someone, or simply marked by bad luck or bad events. We have all heard the phrase at some point in our lives, “If God can bring you to it, He will bring you through it.” I personally disagree with the statement of believing God brings us harm, sickness, pain, or tough times. That is not a concept of the basic scripture. We can’t handle anything that comes our way except through Christ alone. Luke 1:37 tells us, “Faith does not make things easy, it makes them possible.” While I believe God to be powerful, I also believe Him to be just. With that being said, I don’t believe God can be fair to every single person in the entire world.

I wish I could tell hurting people, good people and bad people that life is not fair and God gives people what they deserve but that is not the case. If everyone got what they deserved, I believe this world would be a much darker place. We are all sinners and we are all fall short of God every single day. We are also all worthy of God’s love and grace should we choose to accept it. So why do only certain people bear unimaginable pain while others don’t? Why do some people heal from cancer and some don’t? Why do some people die when a drunk driver hits them and some don’t? How does God make the call who will suffer and who won’t? Is it based off our good deeds as a human? The answer to that is no.

When tragedy strikes, it’s easy to revert back to the basic belief that God is punishing us for our sins. Harold Kushner states in his book, When Bad Things Happen to Good People, “The idea that God gives people what they deserve, that our misdeeds cause our misfortune, is a neat and attractive solution to the problem of evil at several levels, but it has a number of serious limitations. As we have seen, it teaches people to blame themselves. It creates guilt even when there is no basis for guilt. It makes people hate God, even as it makes them

It just happens. Bad luck, if you will. Sometimes we may find ourselves in the wrong place at the wrong time, or, the right place at the right time. When I’m irritated because I got out of work late, then I pass a horrible accident on my commute home and I thank God for putting me in the right place at the right time. Had I left work on time that easily could have been me involved in that particular accident. The hand of God is behind our every step and decision. Accidents, murders, sickness, divorce, terrorist attacks, or abused individuals are not the sum of God’s decisions. God gives us free will to make our decisions. C.S. Lewis said, “Evil comes from the abuse of free will.” Evil acts are sometimes random evil from a person whose heart is far from God. Evil comes within one’s self, not from God. I believe Evil comes from Satan sometimes, too. Every single one of us is responsible for our actions. We can choose to make this world a better place or a darker place by the things we do and say every single day. One of my favorite quotes of all time is from Gandalf. He says, “Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check. But that is not what I have found. I have found that is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.” Nobody is born evil. Sometimes individuals choose the wrong path and they make wrong choices and decisions