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It IS a Good Question

"Why hasn't God made it better?"

I was explaining Alzheimer's to my kids. The question came from my 7-year old. At the moment, I'm glad I'm not God and don't have to answer.

Of course, I don't want to be the person pointing a finger at the Almighty, asking Him when He intends to get around to this matter.

I will admit, however, that it is a good question. My 7-year old is not the first person to ask the question and she won't be the last. Though an argument could be made that she is the cutest. And she asked it with pure sincerity. 

Many people have taken more time than I have lived and more space than my silly blog to answer this question. I've taken the time to read some of those answers, as I'm sure you have. Some of the answers are questionable. Some of the answers are great and lead to deeper faith. Many of them could be much shorter, like that of my 10-year old son, "God makes good things out of hard roads."

I think asking the question is a good thing. If we're asking the question, it means we recognize that not all is right in this world. It means we acknowledge things that are not good, as God created them to be. It even should bring us to the point of considering what we can do to make things better.

I think answering the question is good as well. If we were to continually stick our heads in the sand and offer nothing more than shallow and empty well wishes, we would be no better than the people James talked about, who wished a brother well but did nothing to help. Answers lead to more questions, which lead to better questions. 

But better than both is spending time asking God the question, and allowing Him the time and space to answer, or not, as He wants. 

After all, He is God. And we're not.
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