How is everyone's weekend? Good? I sure hope so! 🙂 Mine has been super busy, as I posted yesterday. Last night we went to our friends' wedding and it was really nice. Nicole is an interior decorator and Dan is a photographer, so the wedding was quite the gorgeous sight. It had a contemporary, but cozy and romantic feel all at the same time. Here are a few pictures from the evening:

Today has been the usual. Church this morning, relaxing and catching up on blogs in the afternoon, tutoring in the later afternoon, etc. After a busy Friday and Saturday, we do have plans for a very chill evening tonight. We are just going to watch a movie and have some pizza. Speaking of which, that reminds me...

Fun Fact Friday's Results - #1 is true! NOT #2! I've done it again and fooled you all. Hahaha. I HATE fish, unless it is sushi. I have tried to make it numerous ways and can't enjoy it. Well, I take that back. One other way I do eat it is in the fish tacos where my sister works. And for the record, I do like Papa Johns, but being married to an Italian whose family is from New York has made me a pizza snob and I much prefer the more authentic slices from hole in the wall places these days.

So I guess I don't have anything very eventful to post about today. GLS (Good Life Sunday) will have to be postponed because I have to wait to listen to the sermon online. I volunteered in the nursery after teaching our Sunday school class and didn't get to listen to the sermon, which was apparently really good.

To end this post, I want to accept an award that was passed along to me from the super sweet Vee from the blog Vee Chats. She is so kind and supportive and honest. She's a cool chick, so check her out. Thanks, Vee!!!

The award is the Over the Top blogger award and I am to answer all the questions below with one word only. Then pass it on to fellow bloggers. Here we go:

1.Where is your cell phone? purse

2.Your hair? blonde

3. Your mother? giving

4. Your father? stubborn

5. Your favorite food? cookies

6. Your dream last night? dancing

7. Your favorite drink? coffee

8. Your dream/goal? inspire

9. What room are you in? living

10. Your hobby? reading

11. Your fear? failure

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? in love

13. Where were you last night? wedding

14. Something you aren’t? sane

15. Muffins? fresh

16. Wish list item? camera

17. Where did you grow up? Georgia

18. Last thing you did? eat

19. What are you wearing? sweats

20. Your TV? Peter's

21. Your pets? skittish

22. Your friends? fun

23. Your life? blessed

24. Your mood? content

25. Missing someone? unborn

26. Vehicle? Corrolla

27. Something you’re not wearing? panties

28. Your favorite store? TJoe's

29. Your favorite color? green

30. When was the last time you laughed? 10am

31. Last time you cried? two weeks

32. Best friend? hubby

33. One place that I go over and over? store

34. One person who emails me regularly? hubby

35. Favorite place to eat? Tijuana Garage

I'm going to pass this on to these great ladies:

Danica, Melissa, Mellissa, Jamie, Allie, Janetha, Krys, Naomi, Julie, and Paige.

GIVEAWAY ALERT!!! Heather at Health, Happiness, and Hope is giving a way a bunch of awesome goodies. Here!

....If God Is So Good??? Have you ever asked yourself this question? I believe this is a very relevant question, that many of us have faced in our personal journeys to and through our own faith and belief systems. Especially in the wake of the disaster in Haiti. In all honesty it is a great question. One that has plagued humanity for, well, for forever. I don't think I know a single person who has not encountered this question. I've asked this question myself and had people question me with this as their defense in why they don't "get" my belief. Completely reasonable to do so as well.

So, today's Good Life Sunday (aka GLS) is based off of the sermon today at my church that discussed this important faith question. It was a very strong sermon that can really get all of us thinking so I would love to share it with all of you. I know my GLS posts don't get the kinds of comments or views that other posts do, but I can't keep this message to myself. I beg of you that you all will read through this and share your own thoughts on this (openly and honestly, I have no fear ;)) and that it will be beneficial to us all.

Now on to the meat. Why do bad things happen if God is so good?? There are many attempts to answer this dilemma. On the one side is that evil and suffering are proof that there is no good or loving God. No God at all. He doesn't exist...all the bad that happens is just the way the world works and natural. But, I can't see it that way. Not only for the fact that I don't understand how someone can live without hope, but because what does that mean about all the good in the world. And honestly, despite the headlines and negativity, there is still a LOT of good in our world. Just consider Haiti. Look at the outpouring of love from all over the world that resulted in this disaster. So, as Saint Augustine put it:

If there is no God, why is there so much good?

Now onto side #2. This side claims that God allows suffering so that it can strengthen us and develop our faith. Kind of like the whole "that which does not kill me only makes me stronger" idea. Many of us have had our greatest periods of growth due to a period of difficulty. If you have been through a challenge and come out the other side, you have a renewed sense of strength, hope, and faith. Persevere through something that tries you and you will undoubtedly have a stronger character. The same idea is considered a relevant answer to why God allows bad things to happen. Early 1900's author and theologian C. S. Lewis describes God's communication in such a way:

God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts to us in our pains! It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.

It is so true that many of us, despite our beliefs, can probably be found saying a prayer during a traumatic or hurtful event in our lives. God most certainly wants to bring us closer to us, and some claim that He will use disaster to do so.

Our pastor Stuart Green, of my beloved Sugarloaf UMC, brought up turned this double sided answer on it's head. What if, there is not supposed to be an answer? What if instead of asking WHY we are supposed to ask WHAT? Instead of asking WHY do bad things happen? WHY are you putting me through this, God? WHY WHY WHY? ... what if we ask WHAT are we to learn from this? WHAT do you want to help me/us to  accomplish from this God? WHAT can be the greater purpose of this? Consider this - if we had a definitive answer, would it change a thing? Would there no longer be heartache, suffering, pain, death, disaster? No! So what benefit is there to having an answer to why? There can be a benefit, however, if we have an answer to WHAT.

It is similar to how Jesus healed the blind, deaf, sick. He didn't just give them an answer as to why they were suffering and send them on their way. Instead he cured them. So, instead of explaining to us why there is suffering, God helps to give us a new perspective of hope in times of suffering and, in turn, can help cure the pain. This doesn't mean that God allows the suffering or causes it. It simply means that in the face of hard times, if we look through the lens of faith, if we try to look through Jesus' eyes, we can see new possibilities. We can see some meaning and the good that is possible to bring to or take from the situation. Just like the millions of people across the world who have pooled funds and resources to provide aide to those in Haiti, there can be possibilities in disaster. How many of you have heard of MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving)? This program was started by two women who lost their child to a drunk driver. They took the hardship and found a way to bring good from it and help others. It does not make their loss any less. It doesn't mean what happened wasn't bad. It just shows that there is always possibility for good, depending on how you approach a situation. Faith in God can give us a way to understand the suffering.

You might wonder why God can't just make it all stop? If he is all powerful and almighty, then why can't he make it stop. Well, because we have free will. Which He gave to us. He doesn't want these things to happen either, but He has to allow mistakes to be made and hardships to occur. Otherwise, we would never be able to truly appreciate the complexity that is life. Imagine a life with no hurt. Then, how would you truly value joy? Suffering is part of life, and we need to learn the benefits of trusting God in it.

I'll close with these two things my pastor said that really hit home the point of his sermon:

1) INSTEAD OF ASKING "WHEN THERE IS A GOD, WHY IS THERE SUFFERING?" ... ASK INSTEAD... "WHEN THERE IS SUFFERING, WHY IS THERE A GOD?"

2) WE CANNOT UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING, BUT WE CAN STAND UNDER ANYTHING THANKS TO GOD AND HIS STRENGTH. He will never leave us. Nothing can separate us from His love. We are not meant to understand everything. All we are meant to do is trust in Him and love. I can promise you that it will lead to a full and abundant life, despite any circumstances.

Do you believe that you can't always control what happens to you, but that you can always control how you react? Does that bring you peace? Or frustration?