The Big Picture: A Matter of Perspective

       This is going to take more than one post. I can already tell, by all that is going through my mind and spirit.
       First, let me say that if you are looking for a chance to nit pic and find errors, you came to the right place. Sorta. What I mean is this: If you read this, or anything, trying to find things that you disagree with, then you will be successful in finding things that you disagree with. I am perfectly willing for you to point those things out, by the way. I just would like you to be able to read this with the same mind that I wrote it.
       I have heard the questions "Why do bad things happen to good people?" and "Why does God allow bad things to happen to Christians?" We suffer from limited visibility (1 Corinthians 13:12 [New Living Translation] Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.)
       I have two sons. They are now grown, but when they were very young I tried to instill discipline in them. I required them to do certain chores around the house. One of those was cleaning their bedroom. Let's say that I gave my son the following instruction: "Son, go clean your bedroom. When you finish, I will take you to get an ice cream. If you don't do it, you will be punished." (Of course this is oversimplified, but you get the point). My son has a choice. He can choose to clean his room or he can choose not to. I cannot 'make' him clean his room. I can only motivate him to do so. Let's say that he chooses to clean his room. I then have a choice to make. I can honor my word or go back on it (that would make me a liar), but of course I take him for an ice cream. I'm not a jerk, ya know. What if he had chosen not to clean his room? I still have a choice to make: to punish or not to punish. If I don't punish him, wouldn't that also make me a liar? Therefore, I follow through and he learns that his ol' dad is a man of his word. He also learns other valuable lessons, like following the rules, etc. So... his punishment...was it a bad thing or a good thing? You probably agree that it is a matter of perspective, right. From his childlike point-of-view, his punishment is a bad thing. After all, they don't call good things "punishment", do they? However, from the dad's perspective, his punishment taught him valuable lessons that will serve him well in the future. Are you with me so far? So here's a short list of some "bad" things: homework, getting a shot at the Dr's office, having to go to school, eating vegetables, following your parent's rules, taking a bath, etc. Now for a short list of "good" things: homework (helps us practice skills and prepare for lessons), getting a shot at the Dr's office (helps in healing and/or prevention), having to go to school (to get an education or participate in sports, music, etc), eating vegetables (makes us healthier), following your parent's rules (teaches discipline, prepares us for adulthood, etc), taking a bath (duh! who wants to be stinky and gross?), etc. Another, short, example: Years ago, I went to Army Basic Training. Our drill sergeants made us do push-ups for any minor infraction. "This Private is looking at me." Everybody drop and give me 20 push-ups!" "You didn't move fast enough. Drop and give me 20!" "You are moving too fast. Drop and give me 20!" At the time I thought that these Drill Sergeants were mean to us. I began to realize that whether we did anything wrong or not, we were going to be made to do push-ups. This seemed like a bad thing to the recruits who were being screamed at. As an adult, I can see that the Sergeants were doing it for our own good. How would I feel if I were dropped into combat and was out of shape and couldn't keep up? They wanted us to reach our peak performance. That is a good thing. It was and is a matter of perspective.
       Real life...early 1985. I was in the Army, stationed at a training post, as an instructor. Because it is hard to gain rank (get a promotion) at a training post, and because I wanted to get out and see the world, I requested and received a transfer to Italy, effective in the fall of that year. I had once been engaged (to Tammy), but no longer was and had not seen her in over a year. I accepted Christ in June of ‘85. On July 5th, I had a motorcycle accident that put me in ICU and traction. I was in the hospital for over a month (for the first stay), home for a month of convalescent leave, then back to the hospital for another month. I experienced two surgeries the first month, one during the second stay, and two more to follow. While I was in the hospital, the first time, I was questioning why God would allow this terrible thing to happen to me. After all, I had just become a Christian. I was now one of the good guys, right? My sister sent me a letter. In it, she stated that we may not understand why things happen the way that they do, but that God has a reason for allowing them. What I did not know, at the time, was that Tammy had been thinking about me (or should I say us?) and had decided to pray for guidance. She later told me that she prayed “God, if we are meant to be together, then he will be single and still be stationed where he was, when we last talked.” You could say that she followed Gideon’s example and laid a fleece before the Lord. When she contacted me, Thanksgiving weekend at my parents’ home, she found that, due to my accident, my orders to ship out had been rescinded, and I had broken up with the non-believer I had been dating, shortly after accepting Christ (that relationship was anything but pleasing to God). Well, here we are (Tammy and I), 25 years later, married. I never went to Europe, but it’s been a great ride all these years. Was having that accident a bad thing? I guess it depends on your perspective. Had it not occurred, I would have been in Italy and Tammy would have taken that as her answer from God. I would not have the two sons I now have. How many other things would be different?
       Why do Christians get cancer? Why do they die? Many of the things that that we experience are due to the choices that we make. There are very few “real” accidents in life. Most are self-inflicted results of choice. But, if what we are experiencing is not of our own making, then I desire to have the fortitude to accept that my heavenly father has a plan for me and the confidence to trust his guiding hand upon my life. After all, I did say “I’m yours, Lord.” What right do I have to tell him what to do with his stuff? God sees the big picture while I have limited visibility and can only see what touches me directly, in the here and now. My arguing with God would be tantamount to a 3-year-old arguing about bath time. When it’s my time to cross Jordon, I hope that I can say “I am ready Lord. Your will be done.”