Why Do Bad Things Happen?
Why do bad things happen? Even more to the point, why do bad things happen to me and those I care about? Why doesn’t God stop all these things?
Why do children suffer and get cancer? Why is there evil in the world? And why do good things happen to bad people?
Most of us have pondered these questions at times, but rather than just asking the questions and getting frustrated, let’s actually dig in and find some answers.
Three Reasons Why Bad Things Happen
1 Disaster & destruction in the natural world
Every time we look around, another natural disaster strikes. I have personally witnessed two tornadoes and have survived several big earthquakes. I now live on an island in the Pacific Ocean which was formed long ago by massive and violent volcanic eruptions.
Here in Hawaii, we get reminded of this when molten lava explodes out of the ground to incinerate houses, businesses, roads, beaches, and much more.
But all around the world, disaster and destruction are at work everywhere. Asteroids whiz by planet Earth. Tsunamis, tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, locust infestations, blizzards, and searing heat waves all strike our planet with great regularity.
If you were under the impression that our existence, as individuals or even as the human race, is guaranteed, I have news for you. It’s not.
This is the first reason bad things happen to us. It’s natural.
2 People harm themselves & others
Bad things also happen because we all make mistakes or bad decisions from time to time.
Parents, children, teachers, preachers, doctors, military leaders, business people, entire nations, everyone makes mistakes from time to time simply out of flawed thinking, misguided good intentions, sheer panic, anger, or just plain old stupidity.
We back into another car by mistake or we cause an accident because we took our eye off the road.
We overdraw our checking account. We go into debt we cannot repay for something we do not really need.
We build or buy a house in an obvious flood zone, a hurricane-prone neighborhood, or a high-risk fire district.
And then there is a more destructive human flaw, addiction. It could be drug addiction, alcohol addiction, greed, or gluttony. Most of us have at least flirted with one or more of these flaws, but some of us fall hard and spend years, if not a lifetime, stuck in an addiction. Addiction often has evil consequences, but the intention is personal indulgence, not evil itself.
Of course, we cannot overlook the worst failing we humans have….
Then there is evil
Throughout human history, evil people have plagued us. Dictators, ruthless kings, murderers, rapists, child abusers, gang bangers, drug dealers…the list goes on.
There have always been evil people. That is people who delight in harming, hurting, and even murdering other people. Though they can do great damage, truly evil people are relatively uncommon.
Let’s just play with an estimate of how many evil people there are. Say it’s 1%. One percent does not sound too high, but if I’m right, this means for a large city of one million, there would be 10,000 evil people roaming the streets. For a country like the U.S.A., with a population over 300 million, there would be three million hurtful, homicidal maniacs are plying their evil trade. And, you wondered why bad things happen.
In short, we cause many of our own problems. What all these errors, mistakes, and evil actions above have in common is that they stem directly from us, the human race.
3 Our minds and/or bodies fail
The final frontier of trouble resides within our bodies and our minds. No matter who we are, our bodies and our minds can fail to perform a given internal process properly. Or, they can simply fail altogether.
Whether it’s due to old age, accident, or disease, something goes wrong, and our body stops efficiently performing a given process, such as cell replication or breathing, or digestion. The miracle that is human birth and life, human thought, human vision, and human reproduction just breaks down.
From seven billion to 30 trillion cells
We are exceedingly complex beings, and I’m not talking about mood swings but rather about our internal cell structure. The old estimate was that we had about seven billion cells in our bodies. Now, that estimate is much, much higher, perhaps 10, 20, or 30 trillion. And that enormous number is divided up into many different types of cells:
A recent article illustrates how wonderfully complex we are:
…There are about 200 different types of cells in the body. Here are just a few examples:
red blood cells (erythrocytes)
skin cells
neurons (nerve cells)
fat cellsHumans are multicellular, complex organisms. The cells inside our bodies are “specialized.” This means that each type of cell performs a unique and special function. For this reason, each of the 200 different types of cells in the body has a different structure, size, shape, and function, and contains different organelles…”
healthline.com
Is it really any wonder that cells inside us fail to do their job occasionally? Even if our cells worked at a 99.9% success rate, there would still be many failed cells piling up. Therefore, we should not be all that surprised when something goes wrong inside one or more of our cells.
Death or disease in young folks
It is especially painful when someone fairly young falls victim to an accident, disease, or death. When a child gets cancer, we naturally recoil in horror. Yet, as you can see from the numbers shown above, each of us is exceedingly complex. Is it any wonder that things go wrong now and then? This does not lessen the human pain we suffer when those we love get hurt, sick, or when they die. Nonetheless, it should be clear by now that bad things happen all the time.
Finally, bad things happen to us such that we do not recover. In fact, our human lifespan seldom exceeds 100 years. And we live on the edge every day. How long would we last without oxygen? A few minutes at best. How long would we last without water? Without food? Though we may feel strong and healthy, we all know that can change. In fact, we know it will change at some point because none of us is likely to get out of this life alive.
We complain when we suffer a disease that shortens our life, yet grumbling never accomplishes anything. Did we ever credit the Creator with the life that bloomed so beautifully in us before illness struck? Have you ever thanked God for your life?
Have you ever thanked God for your life?
I believe in God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth. Perhaps you believe in God too, but some people do not. Whether you do or don’t, I’m quite sure you are happy to have a life. I am quite sure you feel gratitude for your existence. If not to God, then to whom or to what do you feel grateful?
Turn Grumbling Into Gratitude
Christians and non-Christians alike have been given the gift of life, the gift of breath. We have been given so much that gratitude should follow unless we are locked up and blocked from the joy of gratitude.
I believe God created us and the entire world in which we live. The air we breathe. The sun that warms us. God created the heavens and the earth, and He made us too. We are the clay that He made into whatever He chose to make. Do we respond to this gift of life with grumbling or with gratitude?
Each of us has characteristics that make us unique: age, race, size, intelligence, personality, gender, and so on. To a degree, those traits define us. Also, we live in a particular time and place. No matter who we are or where we live, we have a choice. We can decide to make the most of what we have and who we are, or we can grumble and complain.
Should we keep our focus on the ups and downs of our lives, or should we open our eyes to the beauty of creation all around us? Should we focus on those things we do not have or all the things we do have?
Do you blame God when something bad happens?
Should we blame God when something bad happens, such as the death of a loved one? You can blame God if you want to do so, but in fairness, you should also give Him credit for that loved one’s life in the first place.
I believe we have to lift our sight and open our eyes to the beauty of God’s creation. We may have a short time here or a long time. No matter what, there is truth and beauty awaiting us if we lift our eyes up, as this Bible passage illustrates:
‘The heavens declare the glory of god’
1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
Psalm 19:1-2 NIV
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
3 They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world…
If God is so great, why doesn’t He stop bad things from happening?
Just as many of us have asked this kind of question, I suspect God may have the same question for us.
‘i’m afraid he would ask me the same question’
Sometimes I would like to ask God why He allows poverty, suffering and injustice when He could do something about it. But I’m afraid He would ask me the same question.
–Anonymous
Before you start giving God a hard time, it might be good to consider what you could do right now to improve your life and the lives of those you know.
Just sayin’…
So why do bad things happen? We’ve seen three main reasons:
Disaster & destruction in the natural world
People Harm Themselves & Others
Our minds and/or bodies fail
Bad things happen to everyone. The rain or the trouble falls on both the good and the bad alike. Good people are not immune to trouble any more than anyone else.
Finally, recognize that our natural existence — our life — is temporary.
Here is a link to a recent post that may help you go deeper into this issue:
