Harm is not harm if it does good
Hayden was almost three when we were swimming in my friend’s pool. As I gathered our stuff to leave, I heard commotions and coughing in the background. Hayden was flailing and gasping for air in the pool. I jumped in and picked him up and the first words out of his mouth, “You didn’t help me.” I felt awful, I had not noticed him falling in the water, and it was long enough for him to feel helpless. That night, guilt was killing me, and I felt deep grief about my actions and the possible outcome. About three in the morning, I read Psalm 121 from Hayden’s perspective.
I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord watches over you—
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
“The Lord will keep Hayden from all harm—he will not harm him nor the moon by night.” I struggled with “the Lord will not harm him.” Hayden almost drowned. And it would’ve been my fault! Bad things happen. People are not always kept from harm.My 40-year-old nephew died of a heart attack last December and left his wife and three girls, 11, 13, 15 years old. God did not keep him from harm. How do we handle the harm? What does it mean when we are harmed?
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was killed at the end of the Nazi regime for his part in an assassination attempt on the life of Hitler. Bonhoeffer was a pastor and author; and his writings have encouraged many over the years. His life was well lived for the Lord, but he was harmed. In reality, he never experienced true evil because he was saved from hell, and lives in heaven with Jesus. Harm is not harm if there is a spiritual component accomplished behind the scenes, and God is more concerned about our spiritual depth than solving our problems. As parents, we discipline and even, sometimes, spank our kids for outright disobedience. Was harm done to them? No, because good was accomplished, and they are closer to behaving obediently to our authority. There is always a spiritual component God is accomplishing behind the scenes, and we must decide if our spiritual growth is more important than our problems being solved.
So, was Hayden harmed or did it turn out good for the kingdom? He was not harmed because Psalm 121 became his life verse. I told Hayden the story, and it became a faith builder in his life. Romans 8:28 says.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, whohave been called according to his purpose.
Harm is not harm because with God there is always a spiritual component God is accomplishing behind the scenes.