Please help me restore my faith.?

Question

My Grandmother is almost 90 years old. She is VERY religious. She prays to feel better, she has a priest come to her house twice a week, she believes that God has a hand in everything that happens around her. She loves to read and she used to teach oil painting. Now, the God she believes in, has taken her eyesight so bye bye reading and painting. She is very crippled in her legs so she can't go anywhere unless I take her. Four days ago, her house was destroyed by vandals. All of the things she has collected over the years is gone. The only thing left in her life to give her any happiness was a pet bird that God took so suddenly yesterday that the Vet was shocked. So, I ask all of you, what kind of a God would put a frail elderly woman through all of this. She has seen enough adversity in a lifetime. Why does she need all of this heartache. Thanks to all of the recent events of the last few days, she is now in the hospital and has given up on life. Why should I believe anymore??

I understand she is elderly and isn't going to live much longer. BUT, she doesn't need all the BS she's going through. Most of the women in the family have lived past 100. She quit caring. She doesn't want to go home even though my Husband and I have repaired what we could and cleaned up the rest. I can't replace the bird that was only 7 years old. She has given up. And I'm at the point where I have given up my faith. What good has faith done for her?? This is a woman that is innocent to the ways of the world. She has a problem killing flies because they are Gods creatures. SHE DOESN"T DESERVE THIS!

Answer 1

She has stored up her real treasures in heaven, and that is where her focus is. is she the one feeling as if God has put her thru a bunch of stuff... or is that YOUR view of things? Perhaps she is ready to let go of the earthly possessions you feel she clings to....

Answer 2

There is no god, as far as I know and as far as science and logical thought can explain, and anything outside of science and logical thought is bullshit, 90% of the time.

Believe what you want to believe, though, because I'm not stopping you from believing what you want to believe.

If I can provide some nonreligious comfort for you, though, she is probably blind for medical reasons, but her other senses will probably compensate for that - many blind folks get around pretty easily using their other senses - and I would call the police to rat the hell out of these guys, and pet birds... well, everything dies eventually. She's just going to have to get used to that and so are you.

Why is she in the hospital? Did she have a heart attack? If this is true, I would honestly sit by her, make her comfortable, and have the doctors check on her - if she's frail, I suspect she doesn't have too long.

I hate to be so harsh, but sometimes, reality is that way, and all you can do to soften the blow is to tell her you love her and her time with you has been valuable to you and help her repair her house and find her valuables and make her life enriching.

Answer 3

The suffering of someone close to us is very hard to deal with.
Your grandmother has been experiencing the pain of loss of some of her most valued material posessions. It is her blessing that you are standing by her and giving her comfort and support.
I do not know if she is in a decline, because often people can recover and adjust to loss and change, even the elderly.
It depends if there is something to replace it, something that keeps her interested in life. How about talking books from the library; they have a talking book Bible? What about a simple hand-craft that she could do? Contact the Society for the Blind, they should have some ideas and resources. What about focusing on what she still has, like her sense of smell and taste with some special food treats? Another bird? Set her up for a visit from some children who perform on musical instruments; get her involved in Bingo, even if someone else has to be "her eyes". She could yet live some good years. Your love and affection for her will help her, and her faith in God will see her through this and beyond.
We are all required to relinquish our posessions at some time and complete our course on this earth. Don't be bitter; her life will never really end because of her faith in Christ!
I know this is very hard on you; but God is with us during loss and He will never leave us or forsake us. Please take care of yourself.
I will pray for you and your grandmother. God keep you both!

Answer 4

You're right, she doesn't deserve this.
Since you ask in the R&S section, I assume you wish a Biblical response.
The account of Job leads to a partial explanation.
Satan made a challenge.
He claimed Job worshipped God ONLY because God blessed him materially.
Satan said: " . . .everything that a man has he will give in behalf of his soul. " Job 2:4
In other words, nobody will stay faithful to God if they have to go through hard times.
Please note, Jesus also went through very difficult times.
That was Satan up to his usual tricks.
His idea is: Make the person go through hard times and they will forget about God.
At this time, the greater influence in the world is Satan's.
"The whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one."
1 John 5:19.
Satan doesn't care about your grandmother.
Does she care about God?
Why doesn't God do something, if He is supposedly more powerful? He is.
However, He didn't take the Israelites out of Egypt one by one. It was a "class-action."
So today, the moment is ripe wherein He will intervene and say "ENOUGH!"
He shall then set matters straight, once for all time, for everybody.

Answer 5

I am sorry to hear about your grandmother but her being 90 is a very good age. She needs to thank God for the life he has given her, and you as well need to be glad of what God has given her. She will gain her sight back if she is saved the day she dies. Read the book of Job to her. God hasnt done nothing to her. Her age has took its toll on her, and the boys who vandlized her home did that because of sin.

Answer 6

I'm not Christian, so my answer is probably a bit tainted, but I'll try (unlike many of the non-Christians here) to stick within the realm of your beliefs.

I'm sorry, to begin with, about your grandmother. I understand completely what you're going through. *hug*

To my understanding, God does not "do bad things" to his followers. Sometimes, bad things just happen - they are a part of life. Aging is painful. Death and sickness visits everyone - even birds. Sometimes these events pile up all at once, and it can certainly be overwhelming. Remember, though, that these things can - and do - happen to EVERYONE. People die. They get ill. Their pets and loved ones die. They struggle. It's part of the human condition. You are not alone in your suffering - nor is your grandmother.

Somehow, people have the idea that Christians are supposed to live good, unsuffering lives due to their relationship with the Lord, but virtually no honest Christian believes this. Christ never said that if you followed Him, that your life would be easy, or easier, or that you would not suffer. He only said that He would be with you. He said to "take up your cross and follow" - taking up your cross indicates that there will indeed be troubles ahead, and very difficult ones, but you need to follow, nonetheless, and remember that He is with you, suffering as well.

I hope this helps, just a little.

Answer 7

I don't know why these things have happened to her. No one does and if they tell you otherwise, they're only fooling themselves. I do know that God never promised that life would be easy, He only promised that He would stand beside us when the bad times came.

I also know that the day is coming, probably soon for her, that all the pains and heartaches of this earthly life will soon be over and she will be in the presence of the Lord. Jesus says that he himself will wipe away all our tears. He will do this for her and for you.

Someone said once, that even if the only miracle Jesus ever performed was the resurrection, that would be enough. It may not seem like it now, but the eternal life and forgiveness that Jesus provides is an amazing gift. He has not abandoned her and He will not abandon you. May God bless you both.

Answer 8

Hi, I am so sorry for what has happened to your poor Grandmother it always seems more cruel when an elderly person suffers and she has endured so much,yet we should not be surprised at life`s hardships as we all are subject to them sooner or later.
Your Grandmother is in the last stages of life and her tired old body like all elderly peoples is breaking down and the physical things like sight and hearing are part of this process too.
God does not do this to old people it is the natural breakdown of the body and as for the thugs who vandalized her home well they have a free will as we all do but they chose to use theirs for hurt and destruction,better for them to repent and make restitution as God will not like what they have done,as you say your Grandmother has suffered many hardships in her long life but rest assured that the God who gave her life this same God will make her happy for eternity and her pain and suffering will be no more.
God bless.

Answer 9

Please don't blame God for everything bad that happens to people. Most of the time the bad things that happen to a person are the result of something they did, or did not do. Read the book of Job, the devil did the bad things to Job, but God allowed it to prove that Job was a good man. Your Grandmothers faith in God through all these adversities is a tribute to her as a person, and a testimony to all of us, as to what real Faith is all about. God may be allowing these things to happen to show you and us(thanks to your question) how real faith works.

Answer 10

Your Grandma is at an uneasy age, unable to protect herself form the viles of men, unfortunatly this is the world we live in. Your Grandma is doing the right thing to keep her faith, as this earth and all our surrounding are hollow - they have no value, no one can steal your memories or the good strong days gone by. We are all just passers by on this earth our real home is with the Lord but we have to stay believing in life everlasting, where God will wipe away every tear from our eyes and to him every knee will bow. Ther is more to the existing live we can see - God Is good - don't lose faith and don't let the devil deceive you. Go to your nearest Elim Pentecostal Church for ministry, all are trained and will offer support and greivance procedures but you have to make the step. The Lord never leaves you - it is man that sins and will be judged for it so they will not go unpunished in Gods eyes.

Stay positive In the Lord and In his Kingdom. Pray over your Grandma, be her friend, be loving and just be there for her.

God Bless
Find The Lord
Find Your Life
Clarabell

Answer 11

Hebrews 11 is the faith chapter in the bible and if you read verse 6 it says: "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." The fact that your grandmother love God and she spent years worshiping, serving her creator and had see adversities come and go does not mean God let her down. All, All christians must suffer according to I Peter 4:12-13. It reads: Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you: (13) But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. One more scripture I Peter 4:1 - Foasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind... Yes, God loves your grandmother and though her outward man is perishing (flesh) yet the inward man is renewed day by day (II Cor. 4:16). Please be encourage by these scriptures for it help me as well. This is the christian tool, map, instructions for us to live by - if you turn your confidence away from Christ (Hebrews 10:35) then you are going back into satan's arms and that's where he wants you. My advice is, now that your grandmother is in the hospital retore her faith in God, sing songs hymns, and read scriptures to her.