I wrote this a while back with someone specific on my heart, someone experiencing inexplicable loss. When I messaged them with more prayers and extra condolences they expressed not understanding why God took their loved one from them. I was so disheartened that someone could believe that so I wrote this. I got confirmation on sharing it this weekend at a women's conference when several people mentioned this specifically. I hope this encourages someone dealing with loss and helps them to know that God is not to blame.
For Peaches & the one Who called her that
People often fall under the misconception that because God is a receiver of those we dearly loved and have lost, that he is also the taker.
Some are at peace with this notion because they believe that God is good and that there must be some reason for this, some bigger plan that we just aren't aware of. And then there are a lot of people that become angry with God and confused because of this.
But consider this…
What if we got frustrated and angry with foster parents. Or we were confused and questioned the intentions of the ones the proceed towards adoption. What if we considered them the takers for being willing to receive those who needed a home because their current situation is no longer safe or liveable. Don't we typically commend them for their heroism; don't we applaud them for their selflessness? Do we blame them for the things that happened before the children arrived in their care?
The answer is no, at least from my perspective, maybe you have witnessed or experienced otherwise. But for the most part, we encourage and offer praise to the parents brave enough to adopt and foster. We celebrate them for all that they are doing to help a child heal. We say things like “I don't know how you do what you are doing, especially with children that aren't your own”. We are in shock and awe of someone who chooses to take responsibility for the ones that no one else was. Then we are in complete and total amazement when people take on the truly hard cases, taking on the responsibility of correcting the mistakes of someone else.
My greatest desire is for people to start looking at my best friend, My Father in Heaven, that way. That they see him through that same lens, in awe of the things he is willing to do for his children. We live in a fallen world and there is so much death and destruction that he is not responsible for. There are times when this world is just not livable anymore for someone. When disease plagues the life of someone who is innocent, someone who has done nothing wrong, I challenge you to try and view God in this situation differently.
It is never his will for someone to be sick or for tragedy to randomly show up on your doorstep. He is the Hero of the story not the villain. He is the Foster parent that always moves for permanent residence in his house where he knows he can look after you best. He is the one who receives a person when this world is just no longer a good home. God swings his door wide open and says "Come on in".
Unfortunately, when people try to comfort people who have had someone taken from their lives they sometimes mistakenly verbalize it incorrectly. What they don't realize is that when someone is hurting typically what they hear is that God is to blame. “God wanted to bring his Angel home” and all the other sentiments that are often said in the ears of the hurting at funeral homes. But God is not to blame for the chaos that happens to us in this life but he shows up when he doesn't have to and takes on the responsibility of righting the wrongs that weren’t his own.
If you have lost someone be comforted that God has found them but don't be deceived into thinking he is the one that took them away.