How Does God "Grow" Us?

[ adapted from A Teen's Guide to Christian Living ]

Why Does God Allow Bad Things to happen to Good people?

This is one of the most troubling questions any of us inevitably must facce. It is an accepted principle that God will sometimes bring about some significant growth in us through tragic circumstances or a loss of some kind. We still can't answer the question "Why?" In Proverbs 25:2, Solomon writes, " It is the glory of God to conceal a matter ..." The apostle Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 2:11, " No one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God." We read in Isiah 55:8-9, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are My ways your ways,' declares the Lord." Unfortunately, some of you, even at your tender age, have been throguh difficult times. Even though some of you may even believe you are immune to such troubles, one day life will open you to the reality of pain and hardship, and you will find yourself asking that troubling question, " Why, God?" Some things are just not meant to be understood in this life. We simply must trust that God has a purpose, even when we can't see it.

Gianna Jessen, today in her mid-twenties, is a walking miracle. She lived through a failed saline abortion attempt in a southern California clinic when her biological mother was seven months pregnant. Hers is a voice that speaks for those who can't speak for themselves-the unborn, whether alive or dead. Testifying before a special congressisonal committee hearing for the "Born-Alive Infants Protection Act of 2000", Ginna said:

A saline abortion is a solution of salt saline that is injected into the mother's womb. The baby then gulps the solution, it burns the baby inside and out, and then the mother is to deliver a dead baby within twenty-four hours. This happened to me! I remianed in the solution for approximately eighteen hours and was delivered ALIVE on April 6 1977 at 6 am. I weighed a mere two pounds. I was saved by the sheer power of Jesus Christ.
Ladies and gentleman, I should be blind, burned ... I should be dead! And yet, I live! Due to lack of oxygen supply during abortion, I live with cerebral palsy. When I was diagnosed with this, all i could do was lie there. "They" said that was all i would ever do! Through prayer and hard work by my foster mother, I was walking at age three-and-a-half with the help of a walker and leg braces. At that time I was also adopted with my wonderful family. Today I am left only with a slight limp. I no longer have need of a walker or leg braces.
I am so thankful of my cerebral palsy. It allows me to really depend on Jesus for Everything.

Gianna's story is truly amazing. What faith she lives by! Is there any doubt that God has a purpose for this young lady?

Life is full of choices, big and little. Tough times can come from our own choices, as well as from circumstances we can't explain. How do we make decisions when the stakes are fairly high and we're afraid of blowing it? It's easy to block God's working in our lives by charging ahead and doing it our way. Yet, isn't that pretty ridiculous when you think about it? If we don't give Him some room to work, He may just let us botch it up, to our own shame and disappointment. It's called a learning experience.

Pain, Sorrow and Heartache Can Teach Us to Turn Our Eyes Heavenward

Sometimes growth and wisdome come throught trial and error. It's the same for all of us. Other times, we'll do our best to bring God into the picture and still things will appear to fall apart. What can look like a disaster or a big "No" on God's part may really be His way of leading you in another direction, stretching your faith. Instead of saying "No", God may be saying, "Not that way, this way. I have something better for you." God will gladly prune you in this way because He knows you will branch out and grow even stronger and lovelier and bear more fruit. He must also let you experience some rain because He knows it will send your roots deeper into the soil and make you better able to withstand the weather extremees. Remember that fertilizer you've been spreading? Without rain or water, you're only wasting your time.

You are "a planting of the Lord" (Isa.61:3), intended to grow and blossom in His time. He wants you to have the soil enriching nutrients in the proper amounts and on schedule so you won't be undernourished or overwhelmed with too much, too soon. The Master Garderner always knows what He's doing, even when He gets out the pruning shears.