Why Bad Things Happen?

Why does God let bad things happen?"

This is a topic that has left most of us confused or at least questioning our Christian beliefs in some way. I know my human brain can not fully comprehend it entirely, but here is a Christian answer.

In the beginning the system that God had put in place did not include pain and suffering. It was only when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit did sin (evil, pain, suffering) enter the world. It is not God but humans who are to blame for this.

You may ask, "if God is so powerful then why can't he step in?" "Why did this child have to die?" "It's not fair!" Well...the answer is yes he could intervene in times of tragedy, but in order to do so he would have to take away our free will and we would become like robots. This is not what he wants.

More than anything else, God wants to know us in our fullest capacity. If he takes away our freedom to choose and we become like robots he can not truly know us and we can not truly know him. So He endures our pain along with us...and probably even more so.

The next best thing was to send his son to die for us on the cross. Blood is Life. When Jesus sacrificed himself for us His blood symbolically washed over all of us...giving us a clean slate with which to start over.

There is still pain on the earth, but at least we have another chance to develop an intimate relationship with God and eventually be with Him in heaven. For this I am grateful.

Florida's Coral Castle

In Florida there exists a true love story come to life. Although the story doesn't end as ideally as we often would like, it is possible to experience part of the grandeur for ourselves.

In 1921 Latvian immigrant Edward Leedskelnin decided to build a castle on the coast of southern Florida designed to impress and win the heart of his beloved Agnes. Constructed entirely out of coral harvested and transported from the ocean floor about ten miles away, it took him twenty-eight years or nearly three decades to complete.

Working only under cover of darkness, Leedskelnin claimed to have unlocked the mystery behind the building of the pyramids and used that technique to maneuver the massive blocks into place. He told no one how he did it. Once he died, the secret died along with him. Architects and engineers have been unable to duplicate his technique even today.

Unfortunately Agnes was resolute in her decision not to marry Edward, but his structural masterpiece still stands as a monument of his love and devotion to her.

Thousands of tourists flock to take in this enchanting coastal atmosphere every year.  The castle's coral majesty and timeless fairytale-like origin lends a romantic yet tragic effect to every imagination.

Understandably Leedskelnin was extremely proud of his work and loved to show it off. While he was still alive he led private tours and charged no more than twenty-five cents per person.

Unfortunately, the one person for which the castle was built never laid eyes on his creation.