God is Good All The Time!

I don't believe it when people say, "God takes the good ones first"; because if that was true...a lot of people I know would be in heaven.  I do believe that sometimes bad things happen to good people and that God doesn't intercede in the way we think He should.  I also believe that He is in control, and we don't always understand His ways but someday we will.  We may be left devastated, heartbroken and angry wondering what is going on and why is this happening.  We may even question His motives.  People will tell us things like "God takes the good ones first"  or "God wanted her in heaven", but  He wants us all in heaven eventually; doesn't He?  I know they mean well, but it's just not something I believe is true.  Yet some of us go much sooner than others, and some of those are definitely some of the best people we know.  The rest of us try to figure it out, but most of the time; we just can't.  We have to focus on the next steps, because in brutal honesty....life goes on; and we are left to navigate what that will now look like....the new "normal"....how to move on.  I believe God is good, and He wants good for us.  I don't believe God causes bad things or sickness or accidents or tragedies.  I believe He can stop them, but sometimes He doesn't.  I don't know why, and I don't pretend to know why.  I've had people tell me you can ask Him when you get to heaven, but will it even matter then?  I can't picture myself entering the gates of heaven, running towards Jesus and saying...."Oh by the way, why did you allow this thing to happen or that person to suffer or my heart to break?"  I just picture it being peace and love and wholeness and all of the doubts and hurt and pain will not be there, there will be no questions; because the answers won't be important.  In all of the hurt and brokenness, I know God brings good.  It may be something we don't even see, but someone else does; but I trust and know that He brings good out of pain. Sometimes I feel guilty for allowing myself to suffer, especially over something that happened a long time ago, but I've seen that oftentimes that's when the good comes.  When I'm in the midst of trials or grief or loneliness, I will see Him use my circumstance to lift someone else; or I will be the one lifted by someone else's circumstance.  Sometimes I just sit in the pain and don't see the good right away, and sometimes I have to rearrange things in my head; so I can clearly see what goodness came....even if it was the tiniest shred.  But I do see it, even if the pain is still there.