Many times we look at this world and wonder how and why things got so messed up. We are living in an era where all life could be wiped out at any moment. Just look at what’s going on with the conflict in Ukraine. The situation could easily escalate to the point of all out nuclear war. We are also seeing fatal shootings, smash and grab burglaries, and high rates of divorce. How do we make sense of all of this and where do we go from here?
In the beginning, God created a paradise for us. We were enjoying it until we decided to stop listening to God and try doing our own thing. Things got bad and God sent His Son to redeem us. Jesus taught us how to live and showed us the ways to find happiness. Some people listened, but many didn’t. More and more people are forgetting Jesus’ message as time goes on. Bad things happen when we don’t listen and do our own thing. When I tell my kids not to do something, it’s not because I want to control them or show them who is in charge. I tell them not to do something because I know that they may get hurt doing it. Jesus didn’t come to us just to impose a set of unrealistic rules. He knows that certain behaviors will hurt us and wants us to be happy.
Sin creates temporary pleasure followed by long term pain. Sometimes our sin only causes pain to ourselves and other times it causes pain to many others. So what can we do to stop this pain? We need to constantly work on controlling our selfish behaviors. Think of how our actions affect others before we do them. Russia didn’t care about how their invasion would affect Ukrainians and now not only are the Ukrainians suffering, but the rest of the world as well. Even Russia’s own citizens are not happy and suffering. We will all inevitability have trouble following directions and listening to God, but we need to always return back to the right path as soon as we notice ourselves off course.
When bad things happen, it’s easy to blame God and shout out, “Why!?” Instead, look to our own sins and the sins committed throughout all of human history. The pain and suffering in the world is caused by the bad choices we make and not because God doesn’t care or because He is punishing us. If we each work at listening better to God and doing what is right more often, we will start to see a change for the better throughout the world. There will be fewer wars, less violence, and closer families. Most importantly, we will all be closer to our Father and closer to paradise.
