Today tragedy struck the nation as 20 innocent children were killed in a school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Now as usual when tragic things like this happen, I always sit back and wonder why this happened. Why would God let something like this occur? If God is bigger than anything else, then He could have kept this from happening. 20 little kids could still be alive and getting excited for Christmas, which by the way has to do with Jesus entering the world to save us from sin and evil.

But He didn’t stop this evil from happening. Instead he allowed it. He may not cause suffering, but He does allow suffering. For the longest time, I have tried to cope with this concept and understand it. But as I’ve gotten older, I realize that I will never understand it while I am still here on earth. But I’ve learned that it is a good thing, and I’m actually better off not understanding.

I know that God is sovereign over this. I know that while I don’t understand, He does. And that makes me in awe of Him so much more. If we understood all the things that we are not made to understand on earth, then I don’t think we would love God or worship him the same. Job 11:7 says it best: “Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?”

Something else I have realized about evil and suffering is that the presence of it in this world makes me that much more excited for Heaven where it won’t exist! If life on earth was all good, then where would our longing for Heaven come from? We have to go through suffering in order to long for a place where there is no suffering and pain. Romans 8: 18 says, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”

In times of tragedy like today, I know it is common for people to want to turn away from God. They say things like “How could a God exist if he allows suffering and evil?” However I think it makes more sense for the Christian God to exist if there is evil present. The evil in this world must point to something greater. Something good. For evil cannot exist if there is no good. Just like cold cannot exist if there is not heat and darkness if there is no light. Therefore if there is evil, then there must be good. There must be something more than the evil that we see. Evil points towards God, not away from Him.

Although I don’t know the answers and I don’t think I ever will, I am learning to be okay with that. I am learning that evil makes me see God’s sovereignty more and trust in his plan.

Matthew 19:14: Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these”