Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

Why do bad things happen to good people? I think this is one of those questions that people ask theologians, either when they are hardened by life or are angry in the midst of their hurting.


So why does a loving God allow bad things happen to good people? That doesn’t really seem loving? And the answers to that would be, “well, we live in a fallen (sinful) world.” Or the answer might be, “well, God gives us free will. We are not puppets subject to the machinations of a puppeteer”. Or “all good things come from God; therefore, if it’s not good, it’s not from God…”

Why is it that some people, generally, someone who isn’t as good as me, get lucky or blessed? And not me? And again, there would be some doctrinal response about God having a plan and that we just have to trust God because His ways are not our way.

Let’s face it, when you are in the midst of whatever you are going through, those answers don’t cut it. And can you tell, I’ve heard them all? Yep, even used them myself.

This has been one of the hardest weeks for me, in a long time. I’ve had to deal with looming health issues for my son, (even though the number of doctor’s disagreeing with my pediatrician is growing) nanny issues, the regular we are living in a tough economy stuff, and then to add insult to injury, Bruit, my small dog escaped – drama, drama, drama…


Drama? Not only do I have a child who doesn’t gain weight and a pediatrician who is suggesting a pretty horrible diagnosis, I also have a nanny who is a hypochondriac and is goofing off at my expense. And well, there isn’t much of “my expense” to go around so, that is a stressor as well. All of this fell on me this week. So Friday night, I was a little worn out, stressed out, tired and beat. So when I walked out to the car to get Alberto’s supplies to prepare his last bottle, I didn’t notice that Bruti, my escape artist, had run away.

I was only outside for less than a minute. But that is all it took. The worse part about it is that I didn’t even notice…for a LONG time. Talk about guilt!!!!!!! I came back inside, figured they were still inside since the door was barely ajar (I love that word ajar, it was my first vocabulary word in 7th grade and I still remember it). I prepared Alberto’s milk and took him to the room to put him down.

Generally, the dogs go to sleep when Alberto does. One usually stays in the room with him and the other hangs out and sleeps wherever I’m at. And so when Samson was on the bed while I was doing nothing of value or importance on the computer, I figured that all was well and that the weekend was getting ready to start. I was looking forward to spending the day with my dad and Alberto at the beach. It was a rough week, and oh yeah, the boss was on a major power trip too (add that to my week’s pleasantries), so relaxing at the beach and enjoying the fact that my hairdressers from NYC are in town and want to fix my hair was something to look forward to.

When I was getting ready to go to bed, I noticed there was no dog in the room. I checked the house. I checked the backyard. I checked the garage. I checked the street. I couldn’t believe this was happening. How on earth could I lose Bruti?

I hardly slept. And I really thought it was a dream because the entire night when I did sleep, I dreamt that it was a dream and that Bruti was just hiding or was with a neighbor. It was just a bad dream. Then, I’d wake up and realize I was dreaming and he was gone.

Early morning, I walked the neighborhood. One of the neighbors a couple streets away said someone came to their house saying they had the neighbor’s dog. They took down his number in case someone was looking for a dog. The neighbor asked me to come back at around 10am since his wife was still asleep.

Well, she didn’t know what she did with the number. Mind you, at this point, 3 hours later, I had walked the neighborhood 3 times with my fit flops (might as well get something good out of this, a tone butt), posted flyers on all the stops signs and started putting them door to door. And the woman didn’t know where the number was. I was convinced she was partnering with the “guy” and maybe she had my dog.

Finally after being discouraged, after my brother and his wife drove around the neighborhood as well, I just hoped and prayed that this “lead” would come through. And that is when at 2:15, I get a phone call from Poncho who said he had my dog and wanted to know if there was a reward.

He went on to say how he had done me such a favor because his having taken the dog meant that the dog was safe.

I was taken aback that someone would ask what the reward was. I mean, it’s my dog. He wants me to pay him for his trouble? It’s an inconvenience for him to bring the dog to me (since he’s taken him 2 counties away). Well, I was willing to drive to wherever he was and not inconvenience him at all. I asked him if he would only return the dog to me if I paid him. He said, that people give rewards for these things. So I told him to name his price. He wouldn’t. He then said he would bring my dog to me between 5 and 6PM.

It’s after 10 PM and there is no dog and no sign of Poncho. He didn’t return my call and he isn’t answering the phone. My nephew called; no answer. So, my friend, who is in law enforcement told me to call it in. My next door neighbor’s fiancé is also in law enforcement and he dispatched the officer to my home. This poor officer on a Saturday night was taking down information on dog-napping. I suppose in the big scheme of things, this is small potatoes. But he’s my fur baby. He can really be annoying and gets into things. He has the highest pitch bark I know. But he’s mine and now someone is standing in the way of his being home.

I suppose the hard times I’ve had this week, do not mirror those of Job. But on some level, I am having my own version of a Job experience where I am getting hit at every angle pretty much before I have a chance to recover.

The bible says to count it all joy when we suffer trials and tribulations – because it’s supposed to build perseverance and perseverance, maturity. Okay, God must not have read my journals as I continually explained to Him that I am not interested in perseverance, maturity or character. I like being just the way I am; spineless and immature.

Dr. Phil says that perception is reality because it’s real to us. And truthfully, that is hog wash and that is my perception of his reality. Why? Because my perception might be how I view what I am going through but it is not necessarily what is true and real because I am looking at it from a very skewed vantage point (generally from a place of being stepped on, stomped on, and spit on -- usually not the best angle to be seeing things from).

So what is reality? Yeah, bad things happen to good people. Yeah, life isn’t fair. Yeah, sometimes, it feels as though God is absent or asleep (that’s perception but far from reality). So in all of this, I hold dear to what is true, not from my perspective, but from God’s perspective. HE works all things for Good to those who love Him. That means “all” things, even the crummy, sucky, horrible stuff.

I am not quite sure how all of this is going to work out. I am not sure where the “good” is going to come through in this. But I have faith – the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (and boy, I’m not seeing anything!). I doubt my REALLY bad week compares to the trials and tribulations of Job. However as bad as Job’s afflictions were, God was faithful to him and Job got to see who God really is. So, if God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, that means He will be faithful to me as well. And I need that! I really do.

So while I can’t answer why bad things happen to good people or why life isn’t fair, I do know that God is good, even when it doesn’t feel like it. I know that God is at work, even when it feels like’s He’s asleep on the job (sort of like my nanny goofing off).

So why do I say that. Well, let’s see. I had a crazy pediatrician suggest my son have a pretty grim illness – yet, I’ve had 3 physicians disagree with her, have lab work that disagrees with her, and am having a final consultation (hopefully disagreeing with her). What does that tell me? God provided people to bring me peace.

My nanny situation…What it is showing me is that it might be time to move on and not have to feel guilty about it. Maybe, we are all ready and this would be a HUGE cost savings for us.

The dog situation… How many people can say that an officer would be dispatched to their home in less than an hour for a dog theft? Well, I can say that because God connected me with the right people.

My situations haven’t been resolved but God has been involved. And so, when I’m feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders, singing the blues, creating the invitations to my Pity Party to end all Pity Parties… God reminds me, ever so gingerly, that He is with me, He is in control, none of this has caught Him by surprise, and that I can trust Him.