Most, if not all of us, struggle with the question: if God is such a loving God then why is there so much evil in this world?  Or another way of asking is: why do bad things happen to good people?  It’s a common argument atheists make when trying to make the point that God doesn’t exist.  The simplest answer I can give is freedom.  And as we pass six months of a government lockdown I feel called to write and share my thoughts on God, freedom, and our current situation in America.

I’ve been a big believer in freedom for most of my adult life.  I don’t recall being taught much about freedom in school.  I remember having basic lessons on the founding of America but the importance of freedom was never a major emphasis.  We celebrate the 4^th of July every year but that mostly centers on family, food and fireworks.  Although I knew I was a believer in freedom it wasn’t until I lived and worked overseas that I really began to understand its importance. 

Living in a foreign country definitely made me aware that freedom is not the norm.  People were always in your business.  It was definitely frowned upon for westerners to fraternize with the locals.  I remember driving a friend to the airport.  I dropped him off curbside and got out of my car to help him with his baggage.  I then said goodbye and went to give him a hug at which point he recoiled. I’ll never forget the fear in his eyes at being “caught” hugging a white woman. 

There are many more examples of my experiences living overseas that solidified my gratefulness for being an American.  However, it wasn’t until this past decade when I intentionally began pursuing a relationship with God that I’ve truly come to understand the importance of freedom and America’s founding.  America is exceptional because it was the first country in the history of the world that was founded on the principle that our rights and freedoms come from God and not government.  It’s written in our Declaration of Independence and codified in our Bill of Rights.  The more I reflect on this the more amazed I am at how special our founding was.  This never happened before. Ever.  God chose the Israelites.  Yet Americans chose Him.

So let’s get back to the question: if God is such a loving God then why is there so much evil in this world?  Through my reading of the bible I’ve come to believe that God created us to be in relationship with Him and with one another.  His greatest commandment is to love Him with all our heart, mind and soul and to love one another. 

God could have created mindless machines but He didn’t.  He created humans and gave us free will because He knew that if He programmed us to “love” Him then it would not be true love.  Love demands a choice.  Love demands freedom.  And yes, freedom means that people can make the wrong choice…hence, the evil in this world.  The God I believe in…the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob…the God who gave His only son to take away our sins, is a perfect, holy and loving God.  Yet He surrendered control upon creating us in order that we could experience a true loving relationship with Him and with one another.

So it begs the question: if our God surrendered control knowing we were going to make mistakes, why would we surrender our freedoms to the flesh? 

We are several months into this lockdown crisis because we have given up our freedom to “well-meaning” government officials.  I’ve been told, “It’s for the common good” and “We all have to do our part.”  Or, “There are just too many stupid people out there.” The arrogance of human nature never ceases to amaze me.  Our Almighty God surrendered control yet flawed, imperfect humans believe we should protect others from themselves because we know better.  There is a saying: the road to hell is paved with good intentions.  I don’t care how well-meaning people may be.  As Dennis Prager puts it: good intentions without wisdom leads to evil.  And wisdom begins by fearing God. 

As a nation are we that forgetful of the recent atrocities of the 20^th Century caused by communism?  The 20^th Century was the deadliest century compared to all the other centuries combined.  And much of it was perpetuated by well-meaning people who truly believed in the common good. 

I believe we all desire some sense of control over matters.  Some of us more than others.  My husband and kids can attest to my desire for control.  It’s my default safety measure.  Unfortunately, no matter how much I try to control situations my family is never completely safe.  Relinquishing control can be extremely difficult.  But there is an answer.  There is hope.  When God created the world Jesus was with Him.  God knew we weren’t always going to align ourselves with Him.  Jesus was the salvation plan from the beginning. 

Fear has gripped our country because we have either forgotten or are unaware of the hope of eternal life that Jesus offers.  And we have abdicated our liberties because of this fear.  For many getting back to normal life is a scary proposition.  But the scarier proposition is continuing to relinquish our freedom.  If we want to be in relationship with God and with one another then freedom is not optional.  Never.