Not "Why Me," But "Why Not Me?"

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Last week a young woman lost her long and difficult battle with cancer.  I only knew about her through other bloggers like Melanie Shankle, but I felt sorrow for her family and friends, knowing that she left behind a loving husband and a young son.

As I read about her passing, I thought about how often I look at my circumstances and say, "Why me? Why do I have to go through this?"

As blessed as I am, there are still times when I'm tempted to complain about a trial that I'm facing.

Yet how much more often should my question be, "Why not me?"  God could have chosen me to battle cancer and go to heaven at an early age.  Yet He's allowed me to walk a different path than that, blessed with good health and still here to love on my husband and children.

Neither of the questions can really be answered; we don't know the mind of God or His purposes nor can we understand His ways.  By all I've heard, Jen had an amazing testimony through all of her suffering and left a legacy of faith and trust in God. 

God gives us each our own difficulties, our individual journeys through life.  He will also give us the grace and courage to face all of them as we rely on Him.

Jen's death does remind me of the brevity of life.  Let me not sit at my pity party and whine.  God has given me this day - and every day that I wake up - to live for Him.  Since I'm still here, that means that He has something for me to accomplish - someone to love, to serve, to encourage.

So when we're tempted to ask, "Why me?" let's step back and realize that God is in control, that He's growing us into His image, and be thankful for the "why-not-me's."

"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust." ~Psalm 91:1-2