Have you ever been having a great day and boom, the bottom just falls out from beneath you, meaning a bunch of bad stuff keeps happening and the first question you ask is “What did I do to deserve this”? I am not a bad guy. Life can come at us so hard sometimes, and can even take our breath away, especially if it’s something really devastating.
Have you ever read or heard of the book of Job in the Bible? Job was a righteous and rich man in his days. The devil petitioned God to test Job and God gave him permission to do whatever he wanted to Job, but he could not take his life. Loss after loss after loss, Job stuck it out. The death of his children, Job stuck it out. Even when his body was sick and racked with pain, Job stuck it out. All the devil wanted him to do was to curse God to his face, so he could prove a point to God. I am sure on more than one occasion Job asked himself “What did I do to deserve this?”
About ten years ago I got sick, and the doctors couldn’t find anything wrong with me, which is a good thing, but I still felt horrible. Test after test, different doctor after doctor and still nothing. In my mind and often out loud, the first thing I would say was, “What did I do to deserve this?” Then like an old movie, every bad thing I had ever done began to play in my mind repeatedly. I would look at people my age and see on the outside that everything was fine for them. They didn’t seem to be having a problem with life at all, so what did I do to deserve this?” The fact of the matter is, I was on the outside looking in, thinking everyone had it so much better than me. The truth was that I did not know what any of those people were going through or what they had been through.
Bad things have happened in my life and in yours; and if we live a little longer, they will continue to happen. The point I am trying to make is that Job had done nothing wrong and neither had I. He was living his life, taking care of his family, and doing the best he could to serve God, and life happened. If we get sick, God can heal us, if we have a bad break up, God can heal our broken heart. If we lose a job, God can put us in a better position than the one we got fired from. Experience has taught me, a little bit of trust and faith in God, will give us what we need, when we need it the most.
It does not matter who you are, where you’re from and the things you have done good or bad, eventually life will happen to everyone. Do not do what I did and play “Look at all the wrong I’ve done” repeatedly in your head. If you think you have done something wrong, get a grip, get on your knees, and ask God for forgiveness. Get up, dry your eyes, and leave that stuff to God. Then move forward, thanking Him that you did not get what you really deserved.
So, to answer this question next time life comes at you, remember it’s possible you didn’t do anything to deserve it. It’s life and sometimes bad things are going to come and may stay awhile. It is not to measure what you did; it’s to manage how you come out of it.
My brothers, Job went through all of what he went through, and God gave him back more than what he had lost. Giving it back was part of his reward for being faithful to His God. Instead of asking ourselves, “What did I do to deserve this,” we should ask ourselves, “What am I willing to do to deserve the reward, I will receive when this is over?” May God continue to bless you… TMK
