When Bad Things Happen

John 9

I heard a sermon a couple of weeks ago that really hit home. When bad things happen to you at work, how do you respond? Think about that for a minute. It could be someone else getting an account that you had wanted. You might be passed up for promotion or even lose your job. For me, it's usually a bad class or some of my research being rejected. A common response to bad things that happen to us at work is to ask "why". "God, why is this happening to me?"

That's probably exactly what Jesus' disciples thought when they asked Him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind" in John 9:2. They saw that something terrible had happened to this man, and they wanted to know why. But look at the next verse. Jesus tells them that they are asking the wrong question--"this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him."

"Why" or "why not" isn't the right question. Instead, we should be asking "how can God be glorified through this" or "what can God reveal through this."

From time to time, you hear a celebrity or professional athlete praise God for their success. That's great, and I'm glad they recognize that their gifts come from him. But how do those people respond to adversity? When bad things happen in their careers, can they still give honor to God? A great example of that is Colt McCoy's speech after the 2010 BCS title game. McCoy said that he knew in anything, that God is in control. Incidentally, God used that moment to give McCoy a national audience to share His faith, encouraging people to seek Jesus.

What about you? Think about the last bad time or negative experience at work. How did you respond? Did you search for answers, questioning why this was happening to you? Or did you look for how God was revealing Himself and how this situation might work for His glory?