Suffering & Joy

Greg Boyd's work is the best I have ever read on why evil exists.



Today I talked with my friend Lilly. Lilly has had a very difficult past couple of years. Several family members have passed away after grueling illnesses. She has had several bouts with cancer. Last month on the day of her mother's funeral her husband had a stroke.

Almost every time I talk with Lilly she looks at me and says, "God must have a reason for doing all this." My heart breaks every time she says it. First, because she has suffered so much pain and then because she thinks God is orchestrating it.

I don't believe that God is causing the suffering in her life. Not one bit. But that is to be the subject of a post sometime in the future. Lilly said something else that arrested my attention long after I stopped talking with her. She looked at me with a gleam in her eye and said, "I can't wait until the marriage supper (after Jesus' return). I don't belong in this world. I just want to be with Him."

Here is a woman that has seen so much suffering and believes that God has willfully and purposefully caused all of it, yet her love for God shines through her eyes. While I disagree with her theology regarding God causing sickness, I am deeply moved by her eschatological vision and her love for Jesus.

Theological nuances aside, I could use a good dose of Lilly's passion and vision. Over the past couple of years I have arrogantly thought that I have something to teach her. I have something to learn from her. She loves God in the midst of trial. Her eyes are focused on eternity in this moment. I bet that pleases God.
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