Why Not Me?

Yesterday in church we had a guest pastor from the Elmbrook church in Milwaukee. I felt like he was speaking to me. He began by giving examples of unanswerable questions ( Why don't sheep shrink in the rain? How does Teflon stick to the pan? If athletes get athletes foot, do astronauts get mistletoe?) Then he challenged us to consider the question "Why me?" when faced with difficult situations. Since we live in a fallen world, we need to consider instead the question "Why not me?"

When facing cancer, the "Why me?" question one that I have not allowed myself to ponder. I know that it is an unanswerable question. I try to lead a clean lifestyle conducive to good health- no drinking, smoking, drugs. I eat salad, leafy greens, drink tea with my antioxidants, and try to exercise. I do love coffee and chocolate, but no one's perfect. So, why did I get cancer? We live in a fallen world filled with disease, war, poverty, and a myriad of other afflictions. Bad things are just going to happen. Life doesn't necessarily follow the simple cause-effect rules. I don't believe that I did anything to cause this to happen. It just happened.

So, if life is filled with such uncertainty what can we rely on? We can stand firm in knowing that God will never leave us or forsake us. No matter what we are going through He will be there. I have experienced that in the dim light of the hospital room at 2:00 a.m.. He has been with me through the overwhelming fatigue. I have hope in Him that He will carry me through this storm. I also have hope that some good will come of all of this. Perhaps in some small way I can help others that are going through trials and offer encouragement for their journey. So, when you face trials of any kind remember that some questions have no answers. The only answer we need is found in Jesus Christ.