Why me? ...

Wednesday, June 8, 2011. In our institute we have some parking area underground, with restricted access. Usually, at 7:40 in the morning it is full and people have to search in the neighborhood for parking opportunities, which can take quite a while.

What is happening to me? …

This morning it was 7:42 when I came, and the light for the parking area was red, meaning: no places left. So I turned around and parked my car in a road nearby. However, when I walked along the parking area some minutes later, the light was green again. Someone must have left in the meantime, so new places available. It was probably only a short moment of green, with new people coming in soon occupying the few places which were left. But I asked myself: why me? Why did I have to have red, not green?

The whole incident reminds me of more important questions: why me? Often we ask this when something happens to us. Why is it me that did not get the place? Why me, who did not get the job? Why me, who's marriage broak down? Why me, who had to suffer?

Often, we think that the fate of others is better, since some particular problem spared them, since they do not seem to fight a particular difficulty. However, when you look deeper, then things are not that simple. Often, people fight challenges which are not visible at the surface. It is very difficult to judge a particular situation.

How special am I in God's eyes? …

Am I special? If things happen exactly to me, then it could be just random. But it could also be linked to me, to my person. There is a deeper question behind! What is happening to me? Is God there, to guide these things? And: How special am I in God's eyes?

The biblical image of these things is quite clear: every single human is very special. God is there with everyone, in particular those who believe, but more general he wants to reach every single person on the planet. Everyone is special to him, everyone is very important. Every person has more value than we can ever imagine!

So God knows every red light we are facing. He knows everything which works well, and everything which causes difficulties. We all will find a broad mixture of challenges in our life, and he knows them all. So “why me?”, why is there a particular challenge for me? Of course, there is not a general answer to a specific personal question. Probably you will have to ask God yourself to find answers which are very personal to you. Every time I have asked him, I have learned important things about him, about me and about the world we live in. Talk to him, he is waiting for you to come …! ... more texts