• Lost their job

• Lost their home

• Been diagnosed with cancer

• Died

• Buried a baby

I know of Christians who have been through the ringer. I can't think of anything worse than burying your child. That is the worst thing that can happen to us in this life - to have a child die before we do.

I don't know about you, but I don't understand these things. I don't fully comprehend why bad things happen to good people. All I can do is lean on God and trust in His Word.

The Bible says that the sun rises on the evil and the good and the rain falls on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45). We live in a fallen world. God cursed the ground (Genesis 3:17:18). Romans 5:12 states, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned."

I don't have answers to why bad things happen. All I know is that because of Adam's sin, sin entered into the world and we all sin, we are all sinners. Our sin separates us from God. There is nothing we can do to make it right ourselves. There is nothing we can do on our own to get back into a right relationship with God. Our loving, heavenly Father knew that we couldn't do anything to save ourselves, so He provided a way of salvation for us.

God became man Himself. Jesus Christ lived and walked on this earth. He faced the same temptations that we all face and He didn't sin in thought, word or deed. He  willingly suffered and died on a cross for our sins. He paid our sin debt for us. He did what we could not do. Jesus made a way for us to get back into a right relationship with God.

All we have to do is accept this amazing gift. We just need to ask God to forgive us from our sins and then we repent by turning away from our sins and we put our full trust, our full faith in Jesus Christ alone. Turn away from your sins and turn toward Jesus.

If you have a Christian friend who has had a really horrible time recently, let them know you love them and see if there is anything you can do to help them. If you know someone who is hurting who isn't a Christian, please share the Good News of Jesus Christ with them. We can't understand God's ways, but we can be there for people who need encouragement, who need hope, who need the love of Jesus Christ.