The Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man (Saul) is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
Acts 9:15-16
Why must bad things happen to good people? Have you ever asked yourself that question? This passage above is a prime example of the paradox of suffering. If God wanted Saul to become an instrument to proclaim God’s name and do God’s work, why must Saul suffer? It would make more sense for Saul to live comfortably in order to do God’s work effectively and efficiently. But life doesn’t always work like this. In order for Saul’s heart to change, his heart needed to feel different emotions… not the least of which is suffering. Saul came from privilege, power, and pride; the only way for a man like Saul to be humbled is through suffering. But because of his experience with suffering, he was able to empathize with those he previously persecuted and have a realistic view of himself. In a candid letter he wrote to his apprentice Timothy near the end of his life, he said, “Even though I was once a blasphemer, persecutor, and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief… Jesus came into the world to save sinners–of whom I am the worst.” Ironically, Saul would never have come to this realization about himself if he had never gone through great suffering.
So why must bad things happen to good people? Well, let me be brutally honest; we’re not actually “good people.” Also, the things that seem like “bad things” might actually turn out to be grace in disguise.
