Story Time

If you don't mind, I would like to tell you a short story. This story is fictional. It could well have happened somewhere in this great big world but I would hope it never has.

Since I'm not a writer or an author I'm not sure of what library classification listing this story should be filed under. I guess it could be listed as "human interest" or perhaps even "educational" rather then "fiction" because I'm hoping we can learn something from it. If possible, try and put yourself in the shoes of the main character. Picture in your own mind what he sees and open your heart to feel his emotion the same as if you are there instead of him.


One day you find yourself standing on a beautiful deserted sandy ocean beach. The day is perfect, just a slight breeze coming in off the water with a couple of sea gulls circling overhead. As you are looking out at the sunset you notice a sailboat on the horizon which makes you wonder what an ocean voyage would be like.

Lost in your thoughts as the day is coming to and end, you feel the peace of being all alone with the One who created the beauty that now surrounds you. In the quiet of the moment, except from the noise the waves make as they slap the shoreline you quietly say to the Lord … I am blessed. How true that is.

Suddenly out of the corner of your eye you see movement; a cute little two year old toddler is running by you out into the water. Looking around for her parents and seeing only her, your first thought is … "Where did she come from?"

No one else is on the beach, just you and her. You just stand there at the edge of the water watching her as she is playing in the water, having fun, laughing and giggling as little girls do. While you watch, she walks farther and deeper out into this beautiful blue ocean. Now it's too far … she falls down, washed over by the strong waves coming in and she starts to drown … but you just stand there.

All you need to do is take four or five steps into the water, reach down and pick her up … but you don't … you just stand there watching as she drowns. A beautiful little child's life is gone in a moment of time; a child who didn't know any better than to walk into a dangerous situation that some would say is an act of God. Call it part of the evil in nature. An accident of natural causes … right?

It's nothing you did. You didn't tell her to go out there; you didn't push her into the water. You had the power to save her; you could have prevented it … but you didn't.

So … who is ultimately responsible for her death?

Now picture this … before you can turn and walk away, her parents run down to the water and see her small lifeless body being washed back and forth in the shallows along the edge of the beach. Through their pain and shock they cry out … No! Dear God no! How did this happen?

After they lift her cold wet body from the water and hold their limp lifeless child in their arms they look at you just standing there, and with agonizing pain in their voices they cry out at you … You could have prevented this from happening. Why didn't you help her? All you needed to do was …

Now there is a point to my story … God is in this very same position watching us, as you were watching this little toddler. He watches us run through each and every day of our lives, many times walking into situations, doing things that places us at risk of drowning ourselves. God doesn't force us into the ocean … but He won't keep us from it either; we have a free will.

Many times it's our fault, but many times it's not. Tragedies similar in nature to this one happen every day. Loved ones die from accidents, sickness and disease; others are victims of rape, murder and other violent crimes. I'm sure you read about the little girl who stuck her arm though her neighbor's fence only to have it ripped off by their pet pit bull. Can you imagine what her parents felt?

Life is cruel and unfair … things just happen, terrible things.

So we often ask … Lord, how did you let this happen? Why didn't you intervene? All you needed to do was reach down …

This is why I believe and teach that God is ultimately responsible for everything; including those things that we believe are primarily the evils of nature or its secondary causes associated with the fall of man.

I don't know why, but God in His wisdom allows things that His power could prevent.

There is one thing though I have learned about God … His conduct … should never be called into question.


Comments Welcome.