I imagine everyone has heard the term “you reap what you sow”. There is a lot of reaping and sowing going on in the Bible but I have not been able to find this reference in any of them. Are some of the bad things that happen in our lives a result of our unchristian behavior? Some of the red letters around this theme are:

 John 9:2-5

His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.

Jesus clearly says that at least this person’s misfortunes are not a result of sin. He seems to be saying that God made this person blind so that what he does in the name of God will be displayed in his life for others to notice. So, does God make people blind, deaf, paraplegics, or other seemingly random disabilities in order for them to show God’s love or does he sometimes do it to punish people, or is it just that “stuff” (I would use another “s” word here in private company) happens? I don’t know? Another example would be that some people die quickly and go to meet their maker and some linger for years and years in nursing homes or with Alzheimer’s before they reach their next chapter. What is the story behind that? For personal reasons I have been thinking about this lately.