Protecting my loved ones - 15^th January 2009

“ We know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Romans 5:3-4 [NIV]

We often find ourselves questioning “How could God allow this to happen?”  When a friend was recently told that a growth was cancerous and she would need Chemo-therapy after the surgery she thought would remove it all, I struggled to understand why God would allow that in somebody so giving and caring.  She has children the same age as mine, whose world will be changed by this intrusion of cancer, and none of us knows where this story will end.  We do not want our loved ones to be troubled by these things.  It seems so unfair.

When my children are fearful at night, or upset after being bullied, I question what I could have done to protect them.  We long for those that we love to be exempt from the pain of the world, to be able to protect them from it all.  Reality eventually hits however and we will find ourselves nursing a hurting loved one, wounded by the pain of the world.  We feel helpless and afraid.

When we are in these situations we may question God’s sovereignty or his goodness.  How can God allow bad things to happen to innocent children?

Once we get through the questioning period, we discover the profound freedom of turning our great responsibility of protecting our loved ones over to God. God can do a much better job than we can, anyway.  And when the sin of the world affects them, He alone can transform the evil into good.

Almighty God, I surrender my children and those I love into your care. I know that you love them even more than I do. Keep me watchful while releasing me from fear. AMEN.