Because I Said So
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28
Why is one of the most used questions in my life as a mom? My kids constantly like to ask “why.” On my good days, I patiently give them my reasoning. On my bad days, I provide the standby “because I said so.” Every kid dreads hearing that; most parents vow they will never say it to their kids, but the cycle continues for most of us. I imagine this verse as a response from God to me asking Him why. He doesn’t just say, “because I said so, He lovingly explains that everything, every pain, joy, trial, blessing, etc., is in a believer’s life and will be used to help them. Notice it doesn’t say He causes everything, though He can and does cause some things in our life; he tells us He uses these things. Many people struggle to understand why terrible things happen and why God doesn’t stop them. To them, this proves He isn’t a loving God because He doesn’t stop them. Imagine when you were a teen, and your parent stepped in, took over, and destroyed you in the middle of conversations with your friends. Imagine your parent dragging you away, locking you in your room, and telling you that you may not leave until they know you will indeed obey everything they say to do. Now, as the teen in that room, how much love do you feel for that parent? We, as adults, know the parent was protecting the teen, but the teen does not see it that way. Once the parent allows them to leave, they don’t obey because they love the parent and want to thank them for their love. The teen follows because He knows He has no choice but to be severely punished. How does the parent know that the teen understands the consequences and will exercise good judgment without dictating when out of their home? They can only guess based on the teen’s actions. God can see our hearts and doesn’t have to guess why we do something. He knows. He wants us to love and obey Him because we choose to, not because we must. The cool part about God as our parent is that even the terrible things that happen to us or we make happen to us, He takes it and uses it to help us. As a parent of teens, I so wish I could take everything that happens to them and make it valuable and helpful to them. It isn’t possible. Our Father can and does. That is a fantastic gift we as believers often take for granted and focus only on the why.
Father, forgive my doubt in You. Remind me of Your utter goodness when I question what is going on in my life. I trust you, so I trust that You will take care of me.
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