Why Me?

I’ve learned not to ask, “Why me?” or “Why does this happen to me?” because I kinda know the answer to these questions. I don’t know the details of why things specifically happen, but the Bible gives a range of “answers” for us to reflect on. These are some of the things that immediately flood my mind when I find myself asking myself, “Why…”

1. To remind us of who we are. We are creatures. We are the created. Many times we have a sense of self-importance and we think that the world revolves around us. To this, James asks the question, “What is your life?”(James 5:14). James then goes on to say, “You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”

2. Things happen so that we will remember Who is in control and Who is the Creator. James says, “You don’t even know what will happen tomorrow…Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will…”

3. Things happen so that we will seek God. Often in our day to day life, God’s not even on our radar. The writer of Proverbs admonishes us, “In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes…” (Proverbs 3:6-7a). Isaiah adds, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us have turned to his own way…” (Isaiah 53:6). Things happen so that we are driven to seek God.

4. Things happen so that we can assess where we are in God’s plan. Paul says, “For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son…” (Romans 8:29). We are predestined to be conformed into the image of Jesus. Things happen so that we can know our hearts and surrender our wills to His.

5. Things happen so that we will look to God for our complete salvation and deliverance. Sometimes we think of our salvation as futuristic. God wants us to know Him as our fortress, refuge, security, sustainer, as well as our Savior yesterday, today, and forever. We live closer to the edge that we realize, but God wants us to abide in Him.

6. Things happen because of sin in the world. Sometimes things happen because of our sin, other times the sins of others affect us. Sometimes things happen to us because we deserve it. Other times we are affected unfairly. We know this because the only innocent man in all of history was afflicted by sins that were not His own. He was not only the target of our sinful hearts, but the sins of the world were laid on Him by the Father (Isaiah 53:3-6).

7. Things happen to us so that we can give honor and glory to God. Jesus came to do the will of God (Hebrews 10:5-7). We are told to have the same mindset (I Peter 4:1-2). After Jesus was abused, violated, tortured, and nailed to a cross, Luke tells us that Jesus cried out, “Father, forgive them…” (Luke 23:34). Peter adds, “When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.” And just before Peter makes this statement, he said, “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps (I Peter 2:21-23).

To be willing to suffer unjustly doesn’t sound right and doesn’t feel good to me. But when I think about the opposite end of this spectrum—about Jesus and how He was treated and how He responded to me and for me, I cannot help but to be humbled and be in awe of Him. To Jesus’ display of compassion, I also ask, “Why me?”

Even though the words at the beginning and at the end are exactly the same, “Why me” comes from two totally different contexts and therefore asks two different questions. In God’s eyes, there is but only one answer and it involves Jesus Christ. That’s the reason why I don’t ask, “Why” or “Why me” anymore because I know it leads to a deeper question. That question is, “Am I willing to align my heart and mind to be in harmony with Him?” and I kinda don’t want to answer this question.