Leadership Lesson | When Bad Things Happen to Good People
August 2026
The question we will look at today is, “What happens in ministry when you are serving people, and bad things happen to good people?” How could this happen? Why does God allow such things? While theologians have debated this throughout the centuries, I went to Romans 8:18-21 to explore what God has said in His Word about these types of unfortunate events.
- Remember we live in a broken world… God allows us to go through both good and bad, and the one constant thing is His love that never changes.
- Realize the best is yet to come… Romans 8:18 says to compare the current suffering with the glorious future in Christ and then realize that what is going on now is nothing in comparison to what is in store for us who know Christ.
- Understand that God wants a relationship, not religion… This is personal because He is a loving God not a distant King. Our Heavenly Father wants a relationship with us, not a set of rules or regulations for us to follow. He is looking for people who are passionately pursuing a relationship with Him, not just practicing religion.
Why is this perspective so important? Because the first area is personal, and the second tends to judge performance. Our world judges us strictly on performance – what we do, while Christ turns it around and says that He has already done the work. The response is now up to each of us.
The circumstances of life are ambiguous, but the sacrifice of Christ is clear. This brings great confidence in the day-to-day activities of life.
- 4. Understand and embrace God’s forgiveness… Christianity is the only religion that focuses on sin, while all other religions put their focus on the sinner. True Christianity deals with sin, and it is sin that separates us from the love of God and the relationship with When Jesus hung on the cross, He uttered these words, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Everywhere else in scripture, Jesus refers to God as His Father: for instance, when He said in John, “In My Father’s house there are many rooms, and I go to prepare a place for you,” or when He said, “…Father, save Me from this hour…” But here Jesus refers to Him as My God because at that moment He became our substitute on the cross, and so He had to deal with the sin that separates us from God and the relationship that He desires with us. The pain He endured was mine and yours, and in its place, He grants us forgiveness.
So how do we live right-side up in an upside-down world? By never being afraid to trust an all-knowing God with our unknown future. My prayer for each of you is that God will grant you a full portion of His confidence!
Blessings,
Roland F. DeRenzo, Ed. D.
Superintendent/CEO