Revelation 13:7

"And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations."
Revelation 13:7


Sometimes it is hard to understand why God lets the bad guys win... even temporarily. We all know the end of the story. God wins, and we end up happier than we could have ever expected. Awesome ending. But here in the middle sometimes it can get kind of hard because things don't always go the way we think they should. Telling the truth doesn't always keep us out of trouble. Sharing the gospel doesn't always have a positive outcome. Injustice sometimes triumphs over justice, and the bad guys get away with whatever it is they are up to.
And I actually don't have a comforting answer... but maybe that is the point. God will comfort us when we need it, but we have to experience some complications in life, and some ambiguity. As an abstract, life isn't meant to be comforting, or kind... and definitely not fair. It's meant to teach us and stretch us, and to help us to become better than we are: stronger, braver, more capable of understanding and making good choices. I think that looking back we can see how our lives have shaped us and made us better... but it is sometimes hard to see looking forward. And maybe that is one of the reasons that God asks us to care for each other. He couldn't wrap us all in bubble wrap to send us down to earth, or we'd never learn what we should learn. But we can help each other, and offer comfort and support when people around us are faced with trials. It's not bubble wrap, but however unlikely it sometimes seems... it can be better to be broken and to learn to heal ourselves than to stay unbroken and never learn. Education trumps bubble wrap.
Some things in life will overcome us, and sometimes the bad guys will win... it's all part of the plot. It doesn't change the ending. Today, let's remember that God loves us enough that he wants us to learn rather than be perfectly protected... and let's also remember that the people around us are part of the same test, and they could use some support and love... and maybe some help studying on the parts that we're good at. :) Don't worry... it's not cheating. God encourages collaboration. ;)