I hear you. This one is off the charts. Either god does not exist, or he is incredibly cruel at times.
How has God been cruel to this child? It is man who is cruel.
God has never struck me, but I have had people beat me til I bled.
God has never been unfaithful to me, but I have seen loved ones turn to others in spite of vows.
God has never taken anything from me, but I have seen thieves rob me blind.
God has never lied to me, but I have seen my most trusted companions break all trust.
God has never hurt me, tortured me, afflicted me, or hated me, but that has all happened at the hands of man. Why am I still happy?
Because it was God who loved me and was there for me - it was God who gave me strength to get up off the floor and face life again. It was God who took me by the hand and lead me back to the land of the living, back to love, back to joy. I found faith in the desert, hope in my prison, and a song in the night, because it is God who has made those who truly love me. It is God who has made all things good.
Evil comes, because it is the way of the world: it is God who comes to save us from this world.
Why else would he have come on that Christmas, so long ago?
"Either god does not exist, or he is incredibly cruel at times."
This is not God's world. God does not interfere here except under special circumstances. It is the natural world where we have to learn to survive and grow spiritually. Think of Earth as basic training for Heaven.
Your either or premise leaves no room for another possibility. When God created the heavens and the earth all was perfect. When man decided he knew better than God; sin, death, and every sort of evil entered the world. God never intended for that little child to be born the way she was. It was the consequence of corruption that is now at work in the world. God neither intended it or caused it, but he did allow it. Why? I don't think anyone but the Lord can honestly say.
But I do believe that these people will see blessings like few others because they stand with the Lord, and their reliance on His abilities will allow them to overcome any adversity. Many of us who have perfect children and live what we think are perfect lives, forget who to thank. We give ourselves credit for all the good that comes to us and believe that we control our success or failure. If we don't learn to put our faith and trust in the One who created us, it will bring about a tragedy far greater than the one this family suffers.
I praise God for the courage, trust, and faith in God that Tom and Tammy are showing us all. May His blessings to them be rich beyond measure, and may all who hear of them be encouraged and blessed.
God exists. Satan exists. People blame God for physical
manifestations which He did not cause.
I have fibromyalgia with all the severe lifelong weaknesses,
symptoms and chronic fatigue it brings. I used to feel
like a freak. Now I'm understanding more about it. I read
recently that one of the things involved in this condition
is higher rates of birth defects in women with fibro than
those who do not have it. Also, many other odd and
distressing symptoms over the years truly did make me feel
like a freak. I lacked knowledge of what to do to help
myself get better 40 yrs. ago; I also thought that mostly
only preachers prayed about anything much. Yes, I was
responsible for praying and asking God to help me, and yes,
I was also responsible for learning not to eat crap and
junk - which finally I did.
I'm not blaming these folks for their problem, don't get
me wrong, and I surely do admire them for taking it a day
at a time and doing the best they can do.
This culture we live in is so thoroughly into outward
appearances that it has spawned (the ad agencies have
spawned) a generation or more of vain and shallow people
who couldn't recognize beauty if it jumped up and smacked
them in the face and ruined their latest nose jobs.
Mercy! We pay huge amounts of money for little snub nosed
bulldogs and the like and wrinkled little sharpeis (sp.?)
and call them cute and center our whole lives around
bathing, grooming and transporting them around town for
their obedience lessons - not realizing they are really
ugly if beheld by someone else's eyes.
I also learned regarding my "condition" that fibromyalgia
is one that is more prominent in people of Native American
descent. Why? Maybe that had something to do with events
that occurred in the earliest migration of Native Americans
to this continent, maybe dietary preferences, or whatever.
In any event, I learned that I had descended from Native
American roots from both my parents. Is all this God's
fault? No. He created me. I thank Him and only hope I
can cooperate with Him to keep me well enough to work until
I kick off this mortal coil.