Where Did it Come From?

"NANA,"

(that's my cue to listen for my instructions)

"We are going to play television reporter.

You pretend your house got torn up by a tornado

and I'll ask you questions.

Ready?"

Standing tall on her pink bed

in her pink bedroom

holding her toy microphone,

She gave me my first question,

"Did you see where the tornado came from,

or

was it from God?"

pause...

pause...

pause...

because a whole lifetime of

asking the same question

was passing through my mind

The first time was just before another little girl's first birthday.

I sat in the bathtub and cried a year's worth of tears.

 revisiting the  memories of

hospitals, clinics, doctors, surgeries, breathing treatments,

special formulas, turning pills into powder

and

 the terminal diagnosis.

Where did it come from

or

Was it from God?

And so began my quest of

where it came from.

And we know that in all things
God works for the good of those who love him,
 who have been called according to his purpose. 
(Romans 8:28)

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,
 whenever you face trials of many kinds
(James 1:2)

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
 the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,
who comforts us in all our troubles,
 so that we can comfort those in any trouble
with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
(2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

But what about the

tornado

 cancer

accident

heart disease

 death

divorce

rejection

fire

flood

drought

Did you see where it came from?

Or

 Was it from God?

I took a deep breath

and gave as simple an answer

to the 6 year old reporter as I could.

"I did not see where the tornado came from.

And I do not know for sure that it came from God.

But I do know that He created it all,

and everything that touches us

is first filtered through His fingers of love.

And I know we can trust Him.

I didn't tell her that the Word also says,

When we walk through the fires

and when we walk through the floods

He will be with us
(Isaiah 43:2)

or

That Jesus said in this world we will have troubles
and that He has overcome the world
(John 16:33)

or

That my search
lead me to faith in My Creator.

or

that she reminded me of that other six year old

playful, deep thinker.

She also asked hard questions

for which I didn't always have answers.

And so my dear circle of blogger friends,

What is your answer?

Did you see where it came from?
or
Was it From God?

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And thanks for joining me.