An Inconvenient Truth

An Inconvenient Truth

Several years ago, a group of fellow Youth Minister's and myself went to the National Youth Leaders convention in Joplin, MO. These trips were a blast and some of my best memories. That group of Youth Minister's I worked with during the late 90's and early 2K were awesome guys, great friends, and I cherish them.

However, this one particular trip, trouble struck. There were 5 or 6 of us on this trip and 3 of us got struck with illness the last couple days of the trip. Phil got that nasty stomach virus that causes diarrhea, cramps, vomiting. I got not one toothache, but two. I had filling fall out on one side and an abscess tooth on the other side, which caused me major pain, and Jake got a kidney stone. We were all suffering on the 16 hour drive back home.

We can look back and laugh now, but man during that time, I know we all were in severe pain and gave the other guys some good joke material.

It was very inconvenient to be away from home, be at a convention, and away from our Doctor's and get ill, but stomach viruses, toothaches, and kidney stones are not a respecter of person's or places. I got that same stomach virus at a weekend youth retreat one time, not convenient.
Life happens. It's not always planned, not within our control, and never convenient when it comes to things that take place that cause suffering, pain, trauma, heartache, or misery.

Many times we cause our own pain, but sometimes, things in life happen that aren't our fault, out of our control, and they just happen. SIN. That's why they happen. People often ask, why do bad things happen to good people, and the answer is simple, but hard to accept. SIN.

We live in a world that has sin. Sin has a negative effect on people's lives. A person abuses alcohol or drugs, his family will pay the price as well. A husband hits his wife or kids for no reason, they suffer. A wife cheats on her spouse and leaves him and the kids, they are left to hurt. A person drinks and drives and has an accident that kills an innocent person, and their family is left with the pain and questions. Sin.

Our sin affects other people, not just ourselves. We are free to make choices. We sometimes choose poorly. Our poor decisions not only impact us, but sometimes, many times, other people's lives. We don't think about that, or some people are so selfish, they don't care how it affects others. That is an inconvenient truth.

That is why it's so important for us to make good choices, better decisions, and seek to live a life that not only honors God, but is guided by Him.

We are still going to suffer sometimes because of other people's sin and mistakes, we can't blame God, but understand, we live in a world that is imperfect with imperfect people who do things that have a ripple affect into the lives of others, sometimes us. As long as we live on this earth, we will never totally escape suffering at the hands of other people's mistakes or choices.
However, the less we sin and the better choices me make the better our lives will be and the better the lives will be of the people we come into contact with. We will make a positive ripple affect into the lives of others.

"Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom."

James 3:13(NIV)