Living in Chaos: Survival

I often hear people asking:
How can God let this happen to me?
To my family?
To my child?
What did I do?
Why would God let or make hurtful things occur?
Isn't he supposed to be loving and compassionate?
How can I believe in his love and salvation,
if he will not help and heal my hurting?
I hear and have asked myself the perpetual question:
Why?

Then I remember:

In the beginning, God created mankind.
He made us to be loved by him,
and cared for by him,
and to worship him.
He gave us the freedom to choose how to live,
what to do with our lives,
and he allowed us the option of saying,
Yes
or
No.

In our innate imperfection,
we,
mankind,
chose to disobey.
We allowed evil,
sin,
and pain
into our lives.

God does not make evil, difficult, and painful situations happen to us.
This is simply part of what mankind chose so long ago.
Part of who we are as a whole.
Choices we make determine
who we are,
where we go,
what we do,
why we love,
why we hate,
and how we deal with pain.

Anyone can be wonderful during times of peace.
Everyone will be sociable during times of success.
It is very simple to be kind during times of ease.
Yet, it is very difficult to love in times of strife.

We wonder why illness, injury,
prejudice, and hate happen in our lives.
We are to blame.
We chose to allow evil in.
Once the door was opened,
it came in to stay.

However, we still have the freedom
to choose.
God is always here with us,
whenever we choose to turn to him.
He will forgive anyone, anything.
He will lend his strength,
his support,
and his love
at anytime.

He does not give pain or hurt,
but can deliver us
from the abyss we often find ourselves
sucked into.
We only have to believe.
We only need to have enough faith
to ask.

We can choose to love
when confronted with pain.
We can choose to live
in adversity.
We can choose to give
peace to chaotic minds.
We can choose to accept
reality.

Compassion is a choice.
Serenity is learned.
Patience is a skill of mind.
Love cannot be earned.

To swim within the fires of hurt.
To live as Jesus' own.
The power give a smile to hate,
Cannot be done alone.

God does not destroy our lives.
Our fate's not set in black.
Contentment's there for everyone,
If only we would ask.

So when we find fear at our doors
and terror enters in.
Remember you are not alone
and God did not make sin.