May 19, 1999
(Family Matters is taking off the week of May 26)
FAMILY MATTERS:
The way everything is supposed to be
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I've been thinking about the students in Littleton, Colo., and I don't understand why God let that happen. Our school is filled with policemen and hit lists. Will God protect me and my friends?
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DEBBIE CHISOLM
Youth Minister
First Baptist Church
Duncanville
You shouldn't have to be in school and be afraid. School is supposed to be a safe place.
___Teachers and administrators and school boards work hard to provide an environment that helps you to want to learn and grow and mature.
___But that's impossible when you're startled by any loud noise or unexpected opening of a classroom door. I am sure your school officials look at the policemen in your cafeteria and the metal detectors at your doors and sadly say, "That's not how it's supposed to be."
___God is all-powerful! He could have stopped what happened in Littleton! He could have held the tornadoes in Oklahoma in the palm of his hand and never let them touch down. He can disable every bomb, disarm every criminal and ensure your safety at school, home and everywhere.
___But do you know what that would mean? It would mean you and I would not have free will. Free will is part of what it means to be created in the image of God. Birds don't have free will. They must build a certain kind of nest, in a very specific kind of way--but we don't.
___We are free-thinkers. Unfortunate-ly, from the beginning, our thoughts have not been God's thoughts, and our ways have not been his ways. So now we live in a world where everything has been affected by human decisions. But that's not how it was supposed to be.
___When God created this world, and when he created us, it was a place free of bombs and guns and fear and even tornadoes. Romans 8 tells us that even nature has been affected by sin and isn't the way it was supposed to be.
___But God doesn't just sit back and do nothing. God shows his power not by forcing his way on us or protecting us from every bad thing that happens. He shows his power by bringing good from the bad. It's called redemption!
___God shows his power by redeeming terrible circumstances and turning what seems to be a curse into a blessing. He surrounds us with people, policemen, parents and teachers who love us and would give their lives to protect us. And then he gives us a promise that one day Jesus will come again, and we'll be able to see everything the way it was supposed to be.
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