Why does this happen?

The Livesay family are full time missionaries in Haiti. After the earthquake in Haiti, they posted this comment from a pier of theirs, Corrigan. I thought it was perfect to repost after this weekend and all the tragedies that have happened.

(If you are interested in a really great blog, you should read theirs, www.livesayhaiti.blogspot.com)


Active participation:
God did this or allowed THIS for some reason

Passive Permittance:
God didn't have anything to do with THIS, but didn't care to stop it.

Active but ineffective Resistance:
God actively opposed THIS, but was not victorious in his opposition.

There is no "THIS":
God had a mixture of actions & responses to a whole bunch of things with great complexity.
A near infinite number of things happened on Jan 12, not just one earthquake with the same impact on everybody. Lots of peoples' stories came to very different transition points, plot twists and turns, and sometimes, tragic conclusions. There were things that happened that were just, there were things that were unjust, there were supernatural forces and natural ones, there were things that God wanted to happen and things that were not His desire, but part of an unfinished spiritual war. There was grief and redemption all in a swirl, because this is not yet the kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. There were plates shifting and prayers answered and there was evil. The only reason we look for ONE particular answer for it all is that it was ONE shared experience. But our stories aren't truly all the same... they just intersected. So finding ONE reason or one reason NOT to talk about reasons is just not whole enough of a response. God acted, resisted, allowed, rejoiced, grieved, and withheld in response to a million different things on Jan 12, like He does everyday, only I imagine this day he grieved much more.

(Corrigan Clay)