Journal entry by Rod Anderson —
It has been a long time since words would come to share. I pray the right person can be encouraged and people will see Jesus.
It is the anniversary of the accident that took my sister and brother in law today. That event has forever changed people and continues to have impact.
One of the things Dad enjoyed was problem solving. "How can I take this 100 year old wood and turn it into a table? Why is the roof leaking there and what needs to be fixed? How can I make the prop for the play fit the needs of the cast and fit the theme??" Those were problems that dad would sit and ponder until there was a solution. His creative mind and skill would be combined to solve the problem he was faced with.
But try as he might, he could not reason out the accident. It became crushing to his spirit and he couldn't fix that. We all have times where life gives us a problem and we are stuck with the "Why?" question but we can't find an answer. If that is where you find yourself, I am so sorry. What if there is a solution we can hold onto?
Our minds want to have reasons, explanations, understanding, peace. What if the question to pursue isn't "why" ? Maybe we need to be asking of ourselves "How do I see Jesus working here?" instead. We still need to go through the "why" questions, it is our created nature. But we also need to ask ourselves at some point, how can Jesus be honored and glorified in this situation. I wonder if we focus on Jesus and His plan for each of us, would it help us cope with the hard things in life?
When we choose to follow Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we aren't promised that things will be easy. We are promised that no matter what, Jesus will be walking with us waiting for us to yield to His purpose, even if we don't know why.
I can almost picture dad talking with Jesus as he is learning more about his heavenly Father. What I'm not sure of is this; does the "why" question about things really matter as much? I don't know if knowing why things happen is really that important in view of eternity. What is important though is how do we see Jesus in the struggles life brings? If Jesus is the one who created us don't you think that we should focus on what He wants for us rather than on trying to understand the "why" question? The answer to a "why" question may give temporary relief, but there will always be another "why" question to struggle with. If our focus is on Jesus and the plan He has for us, maybe the "why" questions in life lose their power.
Again, if you are in the middle of hard life struggles I am so sorry. But there is hope. You may not find the answer to "why", but then turn your focus on "WHO"; Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.
It is the anniversary of the accident that took my sister and brother in law today. That event has forever changed people and continues to have impact.
One of the things Dad enjoyed was problem solving. "How can I take this 100 year old wood and turn it into a table? Why is the roof leaking there and what needs to be fixed? How can I make the prop for the play fit the needs of the cast and fit the theme??" Those were problems that dad would sit and ponder until there was a solution. His creative mind and skill would be combined to solve the problem he was faced with.
But try as he might, he could not reason out the accident. It became crushing to his spirit and he couldn't fix that. We all have times where life gives us a problem and we are stuck with the "Why?" question but we can't find an answer. If that is where you find yourself, I am so sorry. What if there is a solution we can hold onto?
Our minds want to have reasons, explanations, understanding, peace. What if the question to pursue isn't "why" ? Maybe we need to be asking of ourselves "How do I see Jesus working here?" instead. We still need to go through the "why" questions, it is our created nature. But we also need to ask ourselves at some point, how can Jesus be honored and glorified in this situation. I wonder if we focus on Jesus and His plan for each of us, would it help us cope with the hard things in life?
When we choose to follow Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we aren't promised that things will be easy. We are promised that no matter what, Jesus will be walking with us waiting for us to yield to His purpose, even if we don't know why.
I can almost picture dad talking with Jesus as he is learning more about his heavenly Father. What I'm not sure of is this; does the "why" question about things really matter as much? I don't know if knowing why things happen is really that important in view of eternity. What is important though is how do we see Jesus in the struggles life brings? If Jesus is the one who created us don't you think that we should focus on what He wants for us rather than on trying to understand the "why" question? The answer to a "why" question may give temporary relief, but there will always be another "why" question to struggle with. If our focus is on Jesus and the plan He has for us, maybe the "why" questions in life lose their power.
Again, if you are in the middle of hard life struggles I am so sorry. But there is hope. You may not find the answer to "why", but then turn your focus on "WHO"; Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.
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