A popular phrase used in our culture is “Life Happens.” What does it mean? That depends on who you ask. Someone observed, “Life is always happening.” The phrase can refer to the variety of experiences, events, changes, challenges, tragedies or blessing that happen to us as we continue to live.
The worldwide transmission of the coronavirus has impacted this planet in an unforgettable and painful way. As we went to press, all three of our Baptist universities had opted to extend spring break and/or hold classes online following spring break. Public schools were mandated to close. Churches were encouraged not to meet. Sporting events were postponed or cancelled. Public gatherings of people were discouraged. The stock market basically imploded, causing retirement accounts to drop by billions of dollars.
Life happens, but God is in control, and He remains a prayer-answering God who loves His people. We may be shaken and hurt, but God is our refuge and strength. He is for us, not against us. Lives have been, and will be, taken by this virus. Those retired or approaching retirement may be unable to recoup financial losses. But God provides for His people. This is an opportunity to trust Him with more focus and commitment than ever.
Someone said that a victim is someone to whom life happens. Most of us may be victims to varying degrees in these challenging circumstances, but blessings continue to come. There are encouraging reports of life happening with good results in our South Carolina Baptist family.
Two directors of missions in the coastal area of our state have been leading disaster relief and recovery efforts following flooding and hurricanes over the last 10 years. What a blessing to see so many in need being helped in both concrete and spiritual ways during these natural disasters.
Two churches in Cayce, one a shell of what it used to be and the other a growing church start, joined together as one church, renamed, and are continuing to grow. One church was growing but did not have a building, and one was shrinking but had good facilities. Life happens in difficult and challenging times for churches, and yet God provides a good outcome for both.
A husband and wife from Pickens have been doing mission work in Cuba over the last several years. They helped plant a church and watched it grow. On one trip, a case of 200 Bibles was confiscated at a Cuban airport. They later heard about a man in Cuba who was involved in a ministry that distributed Bibles. They contacted him, and he promised to provide 500 Bibles when they returned. On their trip to Cuba a few months later, they had not 500 Bibles waiting for them but 2,000! Life happens in unexpected experiences.
In highly segregated Kingstree, a black church lost its building to fire and the pastor of a neighboring white church reached out to help, offering the hurting church the use of a building. The two pastors got to know each other, and the two churches held a joint worship service and vowed to help break down the walls of racial separation. When life happens, we can often see the truth of Romans 8:28 at work.
Where is God when life happens? Where He has always been — sovereignly involved in His creation and in the lives of His people. Life was happening for Saul as he rose through the ranks of the Jewish hierarchy. Then while traveling on the Damascus road, he was blinded by a light from heaven and heard the voice of Jesus. The man who was the great persecutor of the church became the leading missionary for the church! Life happens in such surprising and overwhelming ways. God changed his name from Saul to Paul.
Take a person living a normal kind of life without God. Then, a faithful witness shares the gospel with that person, and the one who was spiritually dead becomes spiritually alive through the new birth. That is life happening at its best.
What about doubting Christians who are especially vulnerable to the onslaught of attacks against biblical truth, particularly around the Easter season? Perhaps they begin to question the validity of the resurrection of Jesus. Then, the biblical account of Christ’s resurrection hits home with a powerful impact on their hearts, and they are no longer doubting but believing. Life happens, resulting in personal revival.
Life happens — but when it happens, God is near. It seems that just when we need strength, insight, encouragement or hope, God is there. Life happens — in good times and bad. Praise God, it does not happen in spite of Him, but because of Him!