Someone once asked Mother Teresa the above question. Her response was immediate and quite telling. She said that we shouldn’t blame God but ourselves since there is enough food produced in our world to feed everyone. Too often many people are quick to blame God for many of our social problems when the real problem lies in the heart of man.
I like what Peter Kreeft said regarding the heart of man when he said: “On my door is a cartoon of two turtles. One says, ‘Sometimes I would like to ask why he allows poverty, famine and injustice when he could do something about it.’ The other turtle says, ‘I am afraid that God might ask me the same question.’”1
The fundamental issue when it comes to why does a good God allow so much evil and suffering in our world today is not God’s power but man’s freedom. Again, Peter Kreeft helps us understand why there is so much evil and suffering in our world when he shared: “God created the possibility of evil; people actualized that potentiality. The source of evil is not God’s power but mankind’s freedom. Even an all-powerful God could not have created a world in which people had genuine freedom and yet there was no potentiality for sin, because our freedom includes the possibility of sin within its own meaning.”2
Without the freedom of choice God would never have been able to have a love relationship with His creation. As free moral agents we can either choose to love and serve God or reject Him and serve ourselves. Sadly, mankind chose to reject God and serve self. But praise the Lord that God still wanted a restored relationship with His children, so He sent His very own son Jesus, to die on the cross and pay the penalty for our sins – thus providing us with a way back into a relationship with Himself.
So instead of blaming God, when the real problem lies with our evil hearts, we should be eternally grateful that He sent Jesus into the world to transform us from bondage to free, and from sinners into saints. My friends, Jesus is the only antidote for sin and the only way back to God. So, the next time you encounter suffering why not pray about how you can help alleviate it. And Christian, when you are going through your own bouts of trials and suffering, rather than question God with the refrain: “why me,” I much prefer to ask God how can you use these negatives to bless others and make me a God glorifying vessel!
1 TOP 25 QUOTES BY PETER KREEFT (of 261) | A-Z Quotes (azquotes.com)
2 TOP 25 QUOTES BY PETER KREEFT (of 261) | A-Z Quotes (azquotes.com)