Buzzard Luck

Today, the pool broke, the washing machine filled our house with the smell of burned rubber, the construction problems were numerous and soon to be expensive, the assignment I received for work was riddled with errors, and someone up to no good messed with our RV for the second time this year which made Derik's arrival extremely aggravating.  So my son asks me: "Mom, if everything happens for a reason, why is this happening?"

I'd call today, annoying.  We're thankful no one is sick, but it seems that if it could go wrong, it did go wrong.  Have you ever had one of those days? My husband calls it Buzzard Luck.  Apparently he picked up this expression while on active duty and explains it this way, "Buzzard Luck: Can't kill nothin' and won't nothin' die."  Ugh.  Every time we turn a corner, there sits another problem waiting for us.  So, if God is good, and if we are His children, what gives?  Doesn't He want good things for us?  Why would all these problems come our way?  It is one thing if we have to experience consequences for our sinful actions, but what about problems that we don't bring on ourselves?

First, let me explain that there is no verse in the Bible that says everything happens for a reason.  But because God is sovereign, nothing happens by chance.  Even though there is a purpose behind all things, because God is purposeful, it doesn't mean I am entitled to know the purpose.  I told my son, "Maybe God is teaching me to exercise patience and problem solving."  But the truth is, maybe the reason for all these things going wrong has nothing to do with me.  Not everything that happens in my life is because of me or for me.  We live in a large world with many people and many moving parts.  Some problems that I bump into might have a purpose well beyond me. 

When we begin to think that everything is about us, or that God owes us some kind of explanation for the problems in our life, we are mistaken.  We are owed no explanation by God.  He doesn't have to tell us His reasoning, nor should we demand it.  What we should do instead, is realize that every problem presents us with an opportunity - an opportunity to respond like Christ.

Today, I don't feel like being Christ-like.  Today, I'm perturbed.  I'm out money to fix the construction problems.  I've wasted time at work fixing someone else's mistakes.  I'm out money to fix the washer.  We lost money having to deal with the RV issues due to someone's mischief.  In a sinful world, trouble abounds.  Problems arise.  And being a Christian doesn't inoculate me from buzzard luck.  Being a Christian means that Christ will see me through.  Christians and non-Christians deal with the same kinds of problems.  We all get sick.  Our stuff breaks.  People are mean to us.  God protects His children to a certain extent, but we still have to live in this world full of sin, so we bump into its consequences daily.  

Demanding answers from God will not elicit an answer.  Even if He were to always give me a reason, I might not understand it.  Complaining to God and others doesn't solve problems either.  Getting angry might release emotion temporarily, but often it makes problems worse, not better.  We can trust that: No trial has overtaken you that is not faced by others. And God is faithful: He will not let you be tried beyond what you are able to bear, but with the trial will also provide a way out so that you may be able to endure it. - 1 Corinthians 10:13 (New English Translation)

We can be thankful that in the midst of mess, God will always be with us.  He might not remove the problem or explain the problem, but He will guide us through the problem.  Today, this is what I keep telling myself.  I don't see the way through, but I know God does.  So, I'll stick with Him.