Will I find my Faith?

Question

I have always lived with the belief in God. I grew up in a Baptist household although I rarely attended church after age 10.This has always been a no brainer for me up until 4 1/2 yrs ago. That was when I lost my Mother to cancer. It has turned me inside out. It has made me question things I never thought I would question. Why would a loving God have her suffer the way she did? I know that all prayers aren't answered, but I felt like mine were ignored. I want to believe again, but I just can't seem too. Anyone out there who could offer constructive advice would be appreciated. Just for extra background, I am now 29, my Mother died when she was 52.

Answer 1

It is also the fact that the element of good is more in the creation than the element of evil. We all see that there are more people who are healthy than those who are sick. There are more that eat well then those who starve. There are more that live decent life then those who commit crimes. Goodness is the rule and evil is the exception. Virtue is the norm and sin is the aberration. Generally trees bear fruits, the flowers bloom, the winds move smoothly. .

This is a temporary world and every thing here has a time limit. When its times comes it will die, come to an end and finish. Neither the good things of this world are forever, nor the bad things eternal. We are here for a short time and we are being tested. Those who will pass this test they will find an eternal world that is perfect and permanent. Those who will fail this test they shall see the evil consequences of their sins and corruption.



How many times it happens that we are not careful and still we reach safely to our destinations. The way people drive in some cities, it is a miracle that more accidents do not happen and more people do not suffer. Allah says: (Allah) Most Gracious! 2- It is He Who has taught the Qur'an. 3- He has created man: 4- He has taught him speech (and Intelligence). 5- The sun and the moon follow courses (exactly) computed; 6- And the herbs and the trees both (alike) bow in adoration. 7- And the Firmament has He raised high, and He has set up the Balance (of Justice), 8- In order that you may not transgress (due) balance. 9- So establish weight with justice and fall not short in the balance. 10- It is He Who has spread out the earth for (His) creatures. (al-Rahman 55:1-10)

Abu Yahya Suhaib bin Sinan (May Allah be pleased with him) reported that: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "How wonderful is the case of a believer; there is good for him in everything and this applies only to a believer. If prosperity attends him, he expresses gratitude to Allah and that is good for him; and if adversity befalls him, he endures it patiently and that is better for him".

[Muslim

Answer 2

I am so sorry for the loss of your mother. I can only imagine the hurt you must feel. I am only a little older than you are, and am not looking forward to losing either of my parents.

One thing you should remember is that God DOES love you. He always has, and always will. Even when it seems that He is nowhere to be found, He is there, right there with you, and loves you just as much now as He did the day you were conceived.

Why do people suffer? I don't know. What I do know is that God takes the blame for a lot of suffering in an evil, fallen world. Don't blame Him, turn to Him. He still loves you.

Once again, I am so sorry for your loss.

Answer 3

Army Wife,
First, let me offer my condolences. We unfortuantely live in a fallen world and bad things happen here. Since the fall in the garden of Eden death and misery have been a part of the human experience. It is sometimes hard to put your whole hope and trust in God when these things happen. I know it sounds trite to suggest a book for something like this but John Dickson's If i were God, I'd End the Pain is the most helpful thing I have seen on this topic. He can explain things so better than I can, especially in this small space. I will pray for you and please know that God cares for you, cared for your mother and is working everything for good in the end. I would be happy to email back and forth if you want more info or need someone to discuss this with. God Bless you in your trials. Gus

Answer 4

I think you're finding that the theology where a loving god is directly involved in creating the universe/world (and the whole system) is not in sync with the way things are. We have massive suffering, sickness, death; there are birth defects that leave people in misery. It's all set up where predators hunt prey to survive. It's a mess. And yet when we read about people who have direct experiences of god (called 'enlightenment'), we hear about an experience of Love and Joy that is unimaginable (one person could not sleep for 3 days because of the experience of real and unmitigated joy). So ... what gives? What do they experience? It's not a belief they adopt; it's not a set of concepts that make them feel good. One woman who went searching said that she had 'slayed all her gods', meaning she went from belief to belief and nothing worked. Then she got on the path and had a direct experience and finally found/experienced God. But what is that experience and how does it mesh with the world? They come back from the experience (note: it's NOT a near-death experience) and they say that this whole identification with the body and seeing things as separate is completely illusory. Then why does this illusion and body and the separateness and all the negativity exist? One zen-like spiritual path ('The Course in Miracles') answers this in its theology but it's relatively complex, with God not making the world (and only knowing us in our real and non-illusory state which is not as a body, not as form, etc.). I know - it sounds a bit much but NONE of this stuff is to be believed -- it's all meant to be used as tools to lead to the EXPERIENCE that will resolve the issue once and for all. This direct experience of God has been had by people in all religions and no religion. For a Christian account, read 'Meister Eckhart' or 'St John of the Cross'. For an Islamic account, read about Sufi. For an excellent Zen account (and the only book that provides snippets of people's reaction to their experience), read the well-respected book, '3 Pillars of Zen'. I lost all faith about 11 years ago and then, when my ego/self surrendered (really surrendered), I had a glimpse/experience that made me see that God is ALWAYS there and that we are never alone. But this god is completely unlike the negative, judgmental concepts -- god is uncondtional love. 'Going home' to god is becoming aware that we never left and that the negative concepts of god are not real (Jesus tries to get this across with the 'good' son in the prodigal son parable: the 'good' son is annoyed at the end when god doesn't behave the way he thinks he should - reward those who do good, etc. Unconditional Love is beyond the grasp of that poor boy :) ). Anyway, hope this helps -- yours is the beginning of a path of spiritual discovery -- it may seem bleak at times but the end result can be literal experience of god IN THIS LIFE. But, again, don't take ANY of this as the truth -- none of what I wrote should be believed or grasped onto; instead, find out for yourself and go beyond concepts and belief.

Answer 5

I have always kept an open mind about God. At this point I do not believe that a God even exists. I think from what you said that you were skeptical from the start, otherwise you would have just accepted that your mother died and assumed that it was for a good reason. My advise to you is to just keep looking. I myself have given up looking and I accept that there simply is no God, but that is something I can handle. I think we as humans are just too small and stupid to know what "it" is all for or where it came from. That suits me just fine.

Answer 6

We live in a fallen world. One of the consequences of a fallen world is sickness. But for those who know Christ our days of suffering are numbered. We are going to see the King soon!
Just because we sincerely try to live the way God wants us to doesn't mean we will be exempt from life's trials and sorrows. We are still part of the human race, and we suffer illness and pain just like everyone else. Jesus said that God "sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matthew 5:45).

In other words, we often don't know why God allows things like this to come into our lives. But God is sovereign, and even when life turns against us He still can be trusted. He hasn't turned His back on you, nor is His love for you any less. After all, His Son suffered far more than you and I will ever suffer, when He took all our sins and judgment upon Himself and died on the cross for us.

The key issue isn't why God allows bad things to happen to us, however, but how we will react to them. Will we react with fear or anger or resentment—or will we react with faith and trust and peace? My prayer is that this will be a time when you draw closer to God, and you find in Him the strength and calmness you need. The Bible says, "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you" (Isaiah 26:3).

Make sure of your commitment to Christ. Then thank Him that He is with you, and ask Him to help you trust your life into His hands every day. No matter what the future holds for us, when we know Christ we are safely in His care forever.

Answer 7

God takes and He gives. Everyone always looks to blame the Lord for the Bad, but remember that there is a Devil out there as well. The Bible says that All things work together for good to those that love God. I know it may not seem like it, but something good could come out of the at experience. Maybe you should pray and ask the Lord for some kind of peace and understanding... Sorry about your mother...

Answer 8

Have you ever seen the movie SIGNS with Mel Gibson? Very relevant. As a Catholic I have come to ask questions like yours. A famous preacher, Archbishop Fultan J. Sheen of Chicago, once said Christians are "sinbearers". Just as Christ took upon him the sins of the world so too do Christians take upon them the sins of the world and suffer. I am paraphrasing but he had a radio and t.v. program that continues spreading his wisdom now that he has left this world.

I am confident that the answer you seek is relevent to what he was talking about. I only wish I could add more from my recall of listening to his tapes. I would also like to suggest you read the Old Testament account of Job in which he lost everything. As our Lord taught us, I wish you the grace you need in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I have come to realize we are created, not just in God's image, but in the image of the Holy Trinity. Calling upon the Holy Trinity is something I recommend.

Answer 9

Your feelings are certainly valid. There are many books, etc. out there about dealing with loss and the "Why Bad Things Happen to Good People" stuff.

When we can't see God, that's just it. We can't see God. Doesn't mean God isn't there. You will find your faith again.

It's okay to be mad, sad, pissed off, whatever toward God. It's okay to have ALL your emotions involved in your relationship with God -- not just the feel-good, happy ones. But when we can't see God (lost our faith), that's just it -- we can't see. God's still there.

You are now on a journey to a "grown up" relationship with God. It's gonna be bumpy, but it will be real. Hang on.

Answer 10

Why did it not turn you inside out to see others die, who were not related to you by blood? Why did you still believe, as long as your family (mother) was still whole?
This question is very common, but the one asking never seems to realize the implication.

God does not allow suffering; we represent God's One Beloved creation. We are whole, perfect, complete, as created. All suffering results from our dreaming we are apart from God.