Many years ago Rabbi Kushner wrote a book entitled, “When Bad Things Happen to Good People.” Now its been a along time since I read this book, and unfortunately I can’t find my Copy (probably loaned it out to someone). But, anyway, if I remember correctly, one of the conclusions he comes to in the Book is: “Why shouldn’t bad things happen to good people, because good things also happen to bad people.” In other words, when it comes to someone’s basic nature, it doesn’t matter whether a person is good or bad, because good or bad things happen to all people regardless of who they are. The only difference is, that people of faith who believe in a loving and gracious God will view, accept, deal, handle, work through, and make the best of any situation whether good or bad because of their faith and trust in a loving and gracious God. Over the years, I have seen this scenario paly itself out over and over again. It’s not a matter of what happens or doesn’t happen, it’s a matter of how someone chooses to respond (or not respond) to what happens (or doesn’t happen) in his or her life. Using or not using that gift of faith is what makes all the difference in the world. So, I would be inclined to agree with Rabbi Kushner, that when it comes to the overall drama of life, the mark of distinction is not whether you are good or bad (according to worldly standards), but whether you are a person of faith (according to Godly standards) and how you choose to use that gift of faith in response to the never ending drama of life itself!
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