“What’s something most people don’t understand?”

Today I got a notification on my phone saying that I had an unusual jump in traffic on my blog. This made me smile a bit, but it also made me super curious. “Traffic” has never been important to me when it comes to writing here. This is mostly a selfish endeavor — a creative release and memory keeper. So when I got that notice, I opened the app to see if I could figure out what was going on.

I didn’t learn anything new (so welcome, new anonymous person – blessings to you), but I noticed a “blog prompt” on the landing page. Today’s prompt was “What’s something most people don’t understand?”

I wasn’t going to do anything with the question, but I’ve been thinking about it a lot. So I figured I’d write it down.

What don’t people understand about…what? What don’t people understand about me? Or what don’t people understand in general?

I don’t think there’s anything particularly mysterious about me — and definitely nothing that would leave people scratching their heads. So that’s not it.

Quantum physics, perhaps? I wouldn’t think most people understand that. How do monarch butterflies instinctively know exactly where and when to migrate? Nobody knows that. How did all four number one seeds get knocked out of the NCAA Men’s College Basketball Championship before the final four? If you have an understanding of that, please share.

Seriously. What is something most people don’t understand??

I’m still not sure what they were going for with this prompt, but I think I finally landed on what would be my answer, if I was asked to contribute my two cents: Why do bad things happen and how is it part of God’s plan? Especially a loving God’s plan.

Like why would someone walk into a school with assault weapons and massacre children? Or heck, pick any number of the inexplicable shootings around our country — churches, night clubs, college campuses, movie theaters, malls, synagogues. Does anyone understand it? Or why do people get sick? Why do natural disasters happen? Why do people hurt each other?

So that’s it: why do bad things happen — and why does God allow it?

I don’t think any of us can fully understand. I know I sure can’t. Perhaps one day we’ll have the opportunity to ask the good lord and get an answer. Until then, I suppose the best we can do is have faith in the greater good and just continue to love. Love with all we’ve got and try to make the world better for our being in it. Counter all of this crap with goodness — so much so that the question then becomes “With so much bad stuff happening in the world, I don’t understand how you can love it so much?” And for that, there is an answer: because God loves us more. That I do understand.