Life is Not Fair

“For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” (I John 3:8)

Last week I wrote about our fantasy baseball league, expecting to drop that topic of discussion until the end of the season when I would report my results and use it as another object lesson of life. But sometimes things happen that are totally out of the blue and totally out of our control. One of the young men in our league, Nick Licata, was involved in a car accident last Friday night and lost his life. He was only 18 years old. His dad, Gino Licata, is in the league as well, and needless to say, none of us really give a flying flip right now about baseball.

I know things like this happen all the time, but it doesn’t make it any easier. There is something inherently unjust about having to bury a child. I have not had to experience that personally, but as a pastor, I have done way too many funerals, and some of them have been for children. It is hard enough to bury a loved one who had a full life, but a child is a thousand times worse. I know there are probably some reading this who have been there, and maybe I am opening an old wound. Something like that just never goes away. No matter how much we “move on”, the memory of burying a child remains. It is times like this when only God can help.

However, many people facing such a tragedy will turn their back on the only real help they can get. God gets blamed for things like this when it is clear that death was not in his original design for mankind. He created man and woman perfect in the Garden of Eden. There was no sickness, pain, suffering or death. He told them to be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the earth, and there was no indication that it would ever end. Had Adam and Eve not sinned, they would still be with us today fulfilling the mission God had for them. But we know the rest of the story. We know that Satan tempted them to sin, and as a result, brought death to the human race. Unfortunately, young men like Nick partake in that tragedy long before they ever should.

In times like these, families and friends will ask the big “why” question. It is a very legitimate question, and they have every right to ask. But we can never blame God for these things. The very same God who created us came to earth to pay the price for our sins on the cross. God was not asleep at the wheel and taken off guard when Adam and Eve sinned. His provision for man’s sin is found in his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Our faith in his sacrifice on the cross assures us of a home in heaven when the inevitable happens to us, whether it is at age 18 or at the end of a full and prosperous life. Hebrews 2:14 says, “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.” Death came on mankind because of the deceit of our enemy, Satan. If you want to get mad at someone for this, get mad at him. But don’t get mad at God. He is not the problem, he is the solution.

Some day, God will wipe away all tears from our eyes (Revelation 21:4). At that time, there will be no more funerals to attend. No one will have to bury any loved one, child or aged. The Bible says, “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” (I Corinthians 15:26) It is still an enemy that faces each of us, but just like in the movies, good will eventually triumph. By placing our faith in the risen Son of God, we can face that enemy head on, knowing that we will win. The death and resurrection of Christ will, “…deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” (Hebrews 2:15) There is no need to fear if our faith is deposited in him. People believe all sorts of things, but God is not concerned with what you believe as he is with who you believe. Trust his Son. He did what no one else could – he conquered death, and defeated the one who brought it upon us. Pray for the Licata family in their grief and loss.