There have been many times in life when I have turned to a “God” with
problems and wanted answers or solutions and received nothing. When this happens
I take the time to reflect and ask myself, “Why, when I do some many good
things, do I not receive any answers or solutions to my problems?” The book
When Bad Things Happen to Good People, written by Harold S. Kushner, has brought
some answers to my problems. This book explained and help clarify why even
though I am not a bad person, that sometimes bad things are bound to happen.
When Kushner wrote this book I feel that the meaning of his writings were that
God does not mean to punish us, he just means to test us and present us with
problems and see how we react to them. As put best he wrote, “The God I
believe in does not send us the problem; he gives us the strength to cope with
it.”(127). Kushner makes many references to the bible and his belief in a
higher power, “God”. I personally may not think there can be one and only
one God but I do believe in a higher being or power and I like how Kushner makes
sure to point out that he is not calling it the God but “his” God. It shows
an almost non-biast opinion and it shows a lot of respect towards all groups of
people. I remember one time specifically when my great-grandpa recently passed
away I turned to God for answers. Instead of getting an answer I got more
problems. My great-grandma and grandma both had strokes, my long-standing
girlfriend and I broke up, my parents got split up and divorced, along with all
of the other normal problems that go on in live that we, as humans, have learned
to expect in everyday life. My belief in one and only one “God” diminished.
I felt that there was no one up there looking out for me and then in reading
this book answered a bunch of my questions on why “God” didn’t give me any
specific answers. It showed me that perhaps God has given me the strength to
move on and realize that everything will go on and how to cope with everything.
Kushner also had a good point in saying that, “Could it be that God does not
cause bad things that happen to us?.....but rather stands ready to help
them?”(29-30). I agree with what he is saying in this quote. My God helped me
through those rough times just like his God helped him through everything that
was going on with his son. Even though the person that meant the most to him was
suffering of a bad disease, and eventually passed away, he trusted in God and
understood what God was doing and that everything that happened was a test and
made things better in the long run. He understood and helped me understand that
God does everything for a reason and has a “master plan” that he wants each
of us to abide by and to follow. This book gave me a lot of insight on life and
what everything means to me and what I should expect with life. Even though I do
not believe in the same God as Kushner, I still believe that there is a more
powerful being up there watching over us and making sure that we are ready to
experience an enlightening afterlife. I thought that Kushner did a good job of
not offending me in the fact that he had a wider opinion on God and his beliefs
and not being narrow-minded about the fact that people are different in their
opinions.