@carolkean, @rhondak: As a Hive "part-timer" for some time now, what "inspired" me to glance through my feed (seldom do I have / make the time these days ...)? And, in doing so, what "inspired" me to open your (and yours only ...) post?

God?

These are real questions. From a real man. In the real world. 😉 My own answer to the last one? Yes, I believe it was God, although I make no claim to any ability to "prove" that to you or anyone else. I simply long ago came to believe there is no chance, no "luck," no "kharma" ... involved in life. All happens for a very definite reason, as it has been ordained ...

This is a powerfully written post @carolkean. "From the heart," there can be no doubt ... How best to respond to it? In my thoughts and praying about it, simply to provide a brief "word of encouragement" (at least I hope it will be "received" that way, i.e. in the same "spirit" in which it was "sent" ...), having wrestled with many similar questions over my long life (now in my 60s ...).

The firstborn into the home of a Pastor (briefly, then he left ... for good ...), I endured many challenges in coming up with answers to the hard questions in life with which most of us (if we are honest, probably every last single one of us ...) wrestle. With my parents "Christian" background and subsequent divorce, through growing up among the Mormons in Utah and hearing their thoughts about other churches, particularly Catholics (both of which claim their leaders to be infallible spokesmen for God ...), close family being members of more "fundamentalist" churches, to being heavily influenced by an Indian from the Brahmin caste "waxing eloquent" about all that culture thinks it knows about the Truth ... 😲🙄

Leading this perplexed, very sincere young man to wrestle with what is the truth? For a time, my "reconciliation" of all of these divergent views was that there actually was a God. But, rather than the truth, since he was a "good God" surely and all of these well-intentioned people's views were irreconcilable, then a "just God" would just "judge us" based on how consistently we lived "our version" of what "we thought" the truth was ... 🤷‍♀️

Such was the reasoning of this man. Until ... My own "moment of truth" ... The survival of my marriage. And the fate of our two little ones, as a result of the "failings" of both of their parents ... My own children facing the same future, as my past? God help me, when my "reconciliation" had absolutely no power to do anything of the sort ...

The "Reader's Digest" version from there (my "Testimony of a Rock Head" post contains more detail ...)? This proud (pride is, I believe, our "fatal" undoing ...) young man submitted and surrendered his life to "the way, the truth, and the life."

I personally have come to believe all systems of belief have one thing in common. Some how, some way, man is going to "earn" his way into whatever his personal version is of heaven, nirvana, utopia ... All except one, that is. The Gospel of Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of our Heavenly Father.

From the resurrection power of His finished work, rather than anything I could or would do, I found what was missing and subsequently my marriage not only survived, but thrived. And we went on (45 years and counting ...) to have a "quiver full" of children, who are now out in the world on their own ...

Your post highlights what I have always considered to be the single most difficult question there is - if God is good and loving then why do bad things happen to good people? I believe the Bible clearly answers that question, but ... Probably I have written more than enough already ...

Thank you for this great post @carolkean. I pray you are ultimately successful in finding the only source of eternal peace there is, in your own struggle in answering these very difficult life questions.

P.S. I cannot write this last sentence and say "see ya" ... Without offering any help I can, with whatever follow-up questions / comments / concerns you may have. Not to be presumptuous that there will be, but simply to offer to be of whatever help I can, as a "tool in God's hands" was with me in 1984 ...