Carmen was ticked off, and she earned it, illness, delinquent child, drunken husband, and unemployment. You name it, if it’s bad, it happens to Carmen.

She wasn’t coping well. One of Carmen’s methods to address her misfortune was to talk to God. Her conversations went something like this, “Please God, cure my cancer and I’ll believe in you.” Conditional belief. Ask and receive; God is good. No response; proof positive— there is no God.

Everything changed at a funeral mass. The priest delivered a message that got through to her. With the death of her good friend, came the birth of a new awareness. She finally understood; times of trouble are when faith in God needs to be strongest.

God doesn’t need to be bargained with, debated, or even questioned. Carmen learned to love God unconditionally, and to believe in the goodness of God, unconditionally.

Life is never on our terms. There is a much grander plan for us than we can see while here on Earth. Believe, and you will know the wisdom of God’s work. Believe and you will see the miracle of God’s creation.