One Wednesday night at church, the brother who shared talked about Mark 5:1-20, which is the story of the demon-possessed man whose demons begged Jesus to let them go into a herd of pigs which then ran off a cliff and drowned. He said that the loss of the pigs was considered a very bad thing, but it happened while this man was being set free from the demons; and he asked, “What if bad things happen because something good is happening somewhere else?”
What if? What if the “bad” things (the things we see as bad) are happening because somewhere else something good is happening? Or what if a bad thing happens to make way for a good thing?
What if the sickness that keeps you and your family from going on a trip prevents your deaths in a car accident?
What if the flat tire or the car breaking down on the road allows you to come into contact with somebody who needs to hear about Jesus’ love?
What if getting fired from your job frees you up to do God’s will?
What if the death of a loved one is the reason someone else accepts Christ?
What if the test that comes back positive is so you can be a light to the doctors, nurses, fellow patients, and others?
What if your trials and struggles will later be the story that encourages someone to keep on believing?
The inconvience that frustrates you, the event that confuses and scares you, the storm that seems about to drown you–they happen for a reason. There’s a purpose. You may not know why at the time–you may never–but there’s always a reason.
Pigs were drowned while a man was freed from demons.
