The question asked of many religious leaders is “Why do bad things happen to good people?” I am not so often asked this question and I think it is because I would not have the answer for which anyone is looking.

First of all, I would have to say that the word “bad” is not one I would use to describe things that happen. Things that happen just are. They are neither good nor bad. There is only one Power and it is manifesting through all of creation. It has never been touched by any experience and is just continually recreating from itself. We are that Power and we are recreating our lives in every moment with our consciousness, which is grounded in our beliefs. We live in a world of cause and effect and there is no bad or good only the use of the Power within us.

Second of all, everyone is on a journey and I do not know another person’s journey. When I use the term journey, I am talking about the journey our individual soul is on. We are in a process of evolution at all times. We are always growing, we are always moving closer or further from our true selves, but we are still perfect beyond all our experiences. I think the story of the Prodigal Son in the Bible states it best. This parable lets us know that there is a Power which Jesus called Father that is always here within us. We sometimes walk far away from it, but it is always waiting for us without judgement and ready to welcome us home with open arms. That same Power lives within each of us. We are given free will to recognize it or not, to live from it or not. We are free agents.

Thirdly, if something seemingly “bad” bumps into us on our path, and we do not know why it is here or whether or not we can make it through it, we have a choice. We can look out and just look at the physical earthly picture of it, just look at the effect or the form that is showing itself; or we can turn within where the mold is created. That mold is shaped by our belief which is creating our opinion of what’s happening. If we change our belief, according to Law, the effect must change. Does this mean we can bring someone back to life or cure their cancer or change the situation? The answer is yes and no.

We cannot change someone else’s journey. we cannot rise someone from a grave. That’s not our job. You might say, Jesus did. Well, first of all, we do not know the whole story of Lazarus, just what is presented to us in a text written well after the event. Secondly, if you read what is there, you will see Jesus had no desire to raise Lazarus. He argued that he was interfering with someone else’s journey, but he did it anyway to help his friends who were suffering. The other way to look at it is that Lazarus raised himself with Jesus’s faith in him and allowing him to know he had choice as to whether he came back again. In present day, people like Anita Moorjani tell us the same story. She had a choice to come back. The testimonies of people who experience NED’s all say the same thing. They made the choice to come back to their life on earth. They also felt their eternal selves.

There is a mystery to life that we have not totally solved as of yet, because we are not looking beyond the appearances. I know for myself that I am just going to stay present, and take life one breath at a time, knowing that as I am able to look beyond appearances, I will gain more and more knowing of the mystery and unravel it in my own mind. I trust I can be a light to those around me by my example, and hold their hand when they are going through a rough spot. I know that others have done the same for me.

Life is a journey of our soul back to our True Selves. I believe we are on this earth plane because it is the best place as of now to prove to ourselves that Spiritual Thought Force is greater than material resistance. It is not always pleasant, and we kick and scream some of the time. I believe that is because we believe in suffering. We use it as a way to live here. We can just as easily call upon Joy. It starts in consciousness, only in consciousness.

Why do “good” things happen to “bad” people? I think you could answer the question the same exact way.

Love and Aloha,

Rev. Rita Andriello-Feren, Co-Spiritual Director CSL Kaua`i, Spiritual Coach, Author

My new book: “What Do I Need to KNOW? 101 Thoughts That Changed My Life” is available on Amazon