Charlie: “You know something pal? As good as I feel right now there’s a mega damper on my happiness.”

Angel: “Why is that Charlie?”

Charlie: “Every time I think of what Martha and the rest of them are going through because of my Alzheimer’s, I can’t help feeling bad for them.”

Angel: “I’m aware of that Charlie. I must say it’s a most trying time for your loved ones.”

Charlie: “It’s got to be doing a number on them pal.”

Angel: “Indeed it is Charlie, indeed it is.” They’ve certainly been experiencing considerable distress for quite some time.

Charlie: “It’s nothing but a rotten bummer pal.”

Angel: “May I suggest that you try to remember our God knows precisely what He is doing. He has a good reas…”

Charlie: “A good reason for all their suffering and heartbreak? You got to be kidding pal. Here I am locked in a body that by now must look like death warmed over. They probably got me propped up in a chair with my head hanging over the side and my mouth wide open or else I’m laying helpless on a bed in a crummy nursing home, while Martha and the rest of them are being drained emotionally, and you’re trying to tell me that God has a good reason for allowing them to go through this kind of Hell on Earth. Be real for a change, will you pal. This whole thing makes about as much sense as the one about the poor slob that fell into the open grave on that Halloween night. Do you remember that one pal?”

Angel: “Indeed I do Charlie.”

Charlie: “You can’t make any sense out of that one pal. And do you want to know why? I’ll tell you why. Because it doesn’t make any sense, that’s why.”

Angel: “Allow me to attempt to give you an biblical explanation Charlie. Let’s take a closer look at The Unforgettable Halloween, shall we?”

Charlie: “Anything to make you happy pal. It isn’t as though I got anything better to do with my time these days.”

The UNFORGETTABLE HALLOWEEN

Angel: “Well Charlie, what’s your first impression?”

Charlie: “God’s got a great sense of humor pal”

Angel: “Indeed He has Charlie, indeed He has.”

Charlie: “Yeah, but you’re not trying to tell me that God let the whole incident happen just so He could have a good laugh are you pal?”

Angel: “Certainly not Charlie. The mere thought is preposterous.”

Charlie: “I sure hope not pal, but stop evading my question will you. Show me how that ridiculous Halloween incident made any sense.”

Angel: “I would be delighted to Charlie.”

Charlie: “Go for it pal. I’m all ears.”

Angel: “So to speak Charlie. So to spe..”

Charlie: “Give me a break will you pal. You’re making me crazy with all that “so to speak” and “indeed it is” stuff. Just give me a simple explanation for a change, will you.”

Angel: “Getting a little temperamental are we Charles?”

Charlie: “Don’t ever call me Charles. The only one I ever let get away with calling me Charles was my mother and she’s long dead. No one dares to call me by that name. They know better and so should you if you’ve been hanging around me as long as you claim you have. So don’t try to rattle me pal.”

Angel: “If you wish Charlie.”

Charlie: “I do wish. Now get on with it pal. Convince me that Halloween fiasco made any sense.”

Angel: “I would be delighted to try Charlie. Allow me to commence by asking a question. Did our God answer the man’s prayers? He provided the means which enabled him to get out of the grave didn’t He?”

Charlie: “Yeah. He got him out all right, but not before making the guy look worse that the village idiot while He was at it. The media had a ball with that one pal, especially talk radio.”

Angel: “Indeed that was most unfortunate Charlie.”

Charlie: “I can imagine how the poor guy felt and all because he had the dumb luck of stumbling into the unprotected open grave.”

Angel: “I beg your pardon Charlie. There is no such thing as luck. Everything that occurs in the course of human history has been planned to happen by our God. And I might add He conceived His plan before He created His world (Eph. 1:11).”

Charlie: “Are you trying to tell me that it was part of God’s plan God for that poor slob to trip over some stiff’s tombstone and stumble into the open grave, and that God knew all along the guy would do that?”

Angel: “Precisely Charlie.”

Charlie: “How can God know that kind of stuff pal?”

Angel: “He’s our God Charlie. He knows everything. If He didn’t He wouldn’t be God.”

Charlie: “I don’t buy that one pal. Man’s got a free will in case you forgot. There’s no telling what anybody’s going to do next. No sooner do you think you got someone all figured out than they’re off and running in the opposite direction.”

Angel: “May I make a suggestion Charlie?”

Charlie: “Yeah go for it pal. You’re going to make it anyway.”

Angel: “For the purpose of our discussion, let’s stay focused on what we were talking about, which in this case is attempting to make sense out of the man falling into the grave, instead of exploring the area of God’s foreknowledge and man’s free will?”

Charlie: “I’ll cut you some slack this time pal, but don’t think I’m going to let you off the hook about man’s free will. I’ll come back to it”

Angel: “Somehow I’m not surprised by your response Charlie. I’ll be waiting.

Charlie: “Now get on with making sense out of that ridiculous Halloween night fiasco pal. And while you’re at it, tell me why you and Martha and the rest of them are being subjected to so much heartbreak. Make sense out of this one while you’re at it pal.”

Angel: “Lord willing, I will endeavor to do precisely as you request Charlie. Let’s look at the man first. How would you characterize him? What kind of a person would you say he was?”

Charlie: “I would have to say that all things considered, he was a good guy. A little rough around the edges maybe, but so what. Nobody’s perfect and that includes you in case you forgot pal. He was a hard worker. He put in long hours trying to make a buck. He was even out at night trying to drum up business. The guy was active in his church as head usher. That’s more than a lot of those phony churchgoers I know. He didn’t have to do that. No one paid him. So I would have to say he was a good guy whose heart was in the right place. He just happened to have the dumb luck of falling into the stupid grave. It was all the grave diggers fault pal. I don’t blame the guy for getting ticked off.

And the kid. He was a real piece of work. It served him right. He got what he deserved. There’s no way I could feel sorry for him trying to scare those little kids like that. I was glad to see everything backfire on him. What goes around comes around pal. But it’s the man I feel bad about. He sure didn’t deserve what happened to him. As far as the poor guy is concerned the whole thing doesn’t make any sense. It’s stupid. And now you’re telling me God knew in advance that all this would happen and that somehow it was all part of His plan. I can’t buy that kind of stuff pal. Some things just happen.”

Angel: “It’s most unfortunate that you have arrived at this conclusion Charlie. Whenever people reason in such a manner they always loose.”

Charlie: “So now I’m a looser pal?”

Angel: “I beg your pardon Charlie. I never said any such thing.”

Charlie: “Don’t try to weasel out of this one pal. You said that whenever someone comes to the same conclusion as I have, that person is a looser. I heard you with my own two ears or whatever it is that I’m hearing you with.”

Angel: “Will you kindly allow me the courtesy of exonerating myself? Please Charlie. I sincerely want you to trust me. And I certainly don’t wish to offend you.”

Charlie: “OK pal. I’ll listen to what you have to say.”

Angel: “Are you absolutely certain Charlie?

Charlie: “Didn’t I just say I was pal? Give me a break and get on with it will you.”

Angel: “I would be delighted to. Now listen closely: “It’s most unfortunate that you have arrived at this conclusion Charlie. Whenever people reason in such a manner they always loose.”

Charlie: “How did you do that pal? You weren’t even speaking and yet I heard you clear as a bell.

Angel: “That’s because you didn’t actually hear me say anything Charlie. On the contrary, you heard exactly what I said a moment ago. It’s called Instant Recall. Certainly you must recognize that it is one hundred percent accurate. We angels employ it quite often in our work. It’s extraordinarily useful. Would you care to listen to your response accusing me of referring to you as a looser or would you prefer we continue with our discussion?”

Charlie: “I don’t need any more instant anything’s except you letting me know why some things don’t just happen.”

Angel: “If people believed that some things just happen they would never learn what it is that our God is teaching them through life’s difficulties.”

Charlie: “I can see bad things like that happening to the man if he was ripping people off or something. But this guy was a good hard working man. So what’s the message from God on this one pal? What’s God teaching the man in this meaningless event?”

Angel: “Tell me Charlie; on a scale of one to ten, how would you rate the man in godliness?”

Charlie: “He was pretty good pal. Like I said, he not only went to church; he was even the head usher. He was involved in his church. Now that’s commitment. It’s more than I can say for a lot of people. He was a good citizen. He didn’t appear to have any trouble with the law. He was a successful businessman. You don’t get to be successful over night pal. It takes time. You have to earn peoples trust. You can’t get away with lying to people the way politicians do all the time pal. I admit he wasn’t perfect, so in answer to your question, I would have to rate him a seven.”

Angel: “Do you really believe what you are saying Charlie? Do you truly think he came that close to resembling the Lord Jesus Christ?

Charlie: “I’m not sure I follow you Pal.”

Angel: “Allow me to assist you Charlie. On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate the man in his possession of those beautiful Christ-like virtues of patience; humility; mercy and forgiveness?”

Charlie: ———

Angel” “Did you hear what I said Charlie? In so many words, so to speak, I just asked you how Christ-like you believe the man was.

Charlie: “I heard you all right pal. It’s just that you got me to thinking.”

Angel: “Wonderful Charlie. Would you mind sharing your thoughts?”

Charlie: “Well, when you put it that way, I would have to say he wasn’t very Christ-like after all. The guy had a pretty high opinion of himself. He had a short fuse. All he was thinking about was his own reputation and getting even with the grave digger. And he sure didn’t major in being patient either.”

Angel: “Exactly Charlie. Now allow me to ask you another question. What does our God promise His children relative to the difficult times they often experience?”

Charlie: “That’s an easy one pal. He promises to work each and every one of them out for the good of His children. Romans 8:28 is one passage of Scripture I’ve hung on to many a time.”

Angel: “I know you have Charlie. I was there with you. And I must say our God was pleased with your trust in that promise, and so was I.”

Charlie: “There were times when I think if I didn’t trust that God would keep that promise I would have cracked up.”

Angel: “So to speak Charlie, so to speak. I must say I concur with your assessment. Romans 8:28 is indeed a most encouraging promise. It is so filled with comfort and hope. May I ask your opinion of the very next promise our God has made to each of His children?”

Charlie: “I don’t remember that one pal. During my hard times I had my hands full just trusting that God would work everything out for good in the end. That’s about all I was able to do during my difficulties. ”

Angel: “That was most unfortunate Charlie. All things considered, so to speak, I would have to say there are too many of our God’s children which respond to adversity in the same manner. They simply stop reading at Romans 8:28 thereby depriving themselves of additional spiritual blessings.”

Charlie: “How’s that pal? What are they loosing out on?”

Angel: “They deny themselves an explanation from our God which is intended by Him to help them understand what is occurring in their lives.”

Charlie: “You mean to help them to be able to make some sense out of their struggles pal?”

Angel: “Precisely Charlie. There is always a reason why our God allows His children to experience difficulty. It is indeed true that He does not always give them an explanation, but such times are the exception rather than the rule. An excellent case in point, so to speak, is the man who fell into the grave. All too many of our God’s children would view that incident as being a senseless accident.”

Charlie: “And do you know why pal? I’ll tell you why. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. It’s senseless because it is senseless pal, that’s why.”

Angel: “It certainly is not senseless Charlie; especially in light of our God’s magnificent promise to His children in the 29th verse.

Charlie: “What did He said there pal?”

Angel: “He is simply giving an explanation as to what He intends to accomplish, through, among other things, His children’s suffering Charlie.”

Charlie: “Look pal, you’re trying to answer me by using Romans 8:29 to make your point and I keep telling you I don’t have a clue what that passage says. So give me a break and just tell me, will you pal? And keep it simple. Don’t try to take me half way around the world before you let me in on it pal”

Angel: “Please be patient with me Charlie. I’m doing the best I can. What I am trying to say is that sometimes our God does indeed give His children an explanation as to why they experience difficulty. At other times, He who is infinite in wisdom and perfect in love, and for reasons known only to Himself I might add, withholds such information from His suffering children. But He always tells them what He intends to accomplish within them. We must remember that our God is sovereignly ruling His creat…”

Charlie: “You mean that sometimes He does and sometimes He doesn’t clue us in? And that’s supposed to make me feel good pal? You want to know something pal? I’m telling you the truth; you really ain’t right.”

Angel: “Charlie I must insist that you extend me the courtesy of finishing my own sentences.”

Charlie: “Yeah, go ahead, but don’t take all day pal.

Angel: “Are you going somewhere I am not aware of Charlie? Is that why you are attempting to hurry me?”

Charlie: Very funny pal, very funny. Just tell me why Christians should be encouraged in their suffering. And show me the reason from the Bible. I’m not interested in your opinion. ” You got that?”

Angel: “Do you mean to say that you prefer that our God answer you instead of an angel?’

Charlie: “You’ve got that one right pal.

Angel: “Very well Charlie. God says to His children in Romans 8:29 that those He foreknew He PREDESTINED to be CONFORMED to the likeness of His Son. A simply marvelous promise, if I may say so. For instance, among other things, the man that stumbled into the grave needed to develop the Christ-like virtue of patience. On that we both concur. Now if I may ask you a question; how do you think our God achieves this result in His children?”

Charlie: “That’s easy pal, He gives it to them.”

Angel: “And precisely how does He do that Charlie?”

Charlie: “That’s another easy one pal. He gives it to them if they pray real hard and keep asking for it. I’ve prayed like that a number of times myself. I don’t know how many times I’ve prayed for God to give me patience with my wise-guy kid.”

Angel: “Can you recall how our God achieved this Christ-like virtue within you Charlie?”

Charlie: “Not really. All I can remember is that it always seemed like it was forever before things got better around our home. God sure took His own sweet time. Come to think about it, things usually went from bad to worse, especially with that wise-guy kid of mine. I swear he put me through hell pal.”

Angel: “Those certainly were difficult times for you Charlie, but very necessary I might add. Those were the times you should have been rejoicing.”

Charlie: “I can’t believe I’m hearing this. How many times do I have to tell you before you finally get it? You ain’t right! You ain’t right! You ain’t right! You got to be some kind of an air head nut case to expect me to rejoice in my suffering.”

Angel: “Quite true Charlie, unless of course you know how our God intends to use your suffering. For instance, in Romans 5:3 He says through

the Apostle Paul that His children were able to rejoice during their most difficult times because they know those painful experiences were producing patience within them.”

Charlie: “I never knew that one pal.”

Angel: “Which is precisely why you never rejoiced Charlie. You never knew the good that our God intended to accomplish through your suffering. In fact, not only did you not rejoice, you were most miserable towards everyone who had to endure your impatience.”

Charlie: “Hold on a minute pal. Not so fast there. I know a lot of Christians that didn’t become patient as a result of their hard times. If anything, they became more inpatient. You’ve been around a long time pal so you must know I’m not making this all up”

Angel: “Quite true. You Charlie are a classic example, I might add. And if you recall, impatient Christians were precisely the ones who always seemed to be experiencing extraordinary difficulty in one form or another. They chose to respond to their struggles in a manner which was not pleasing to our God. Of course, like any good teacher, if they didn’t learn the lesson He was teaching them the first time, He would simply have to teach them repeatedly until they finally did learn.”

Charlie: “You’re telling me God has to teach them over and over again pal?” Could that explain those times like when I lost my cool and blew up at my kid or let Martha have a piece of my mind and then my car went on the fritz or like when my furnace conked out when it was twenty below and we froze up and the pipes burst when they thawed out and we had water shooting all over the place?

Angel: “Precisely Charlie. If He intends to keep His promise.”

Charlie: “What promise pal?”

Angel: “To conform them to the image of His Son Charlie and that does not take place over night I might add. He faithfully continues teaching His adopted children for as long as is necessary.”

Charlie: “Sort of like if at first He doesn’t succeed He will try, try again until they finally get with His program.”

Angel: “Precisely Charlie.”

Charlie: “I understand now pal, thanks to you. I can see it clearly. It makes sense and It works. I love it and so would my brother Claude’s shrink.”

Angel: “Charlie I must say I’m at a loss for words, so to speak. What do Claude and his therapist have to do with our discussion?”

Charlie: “It would open up a whole new opportunity for the shrink to make a lot of money off of. I can see it now. There’s his quarter page add in the Yellow Pages. Listed among his specialties would be the treatment of H.D.D. I love it.”

Angel: “I can’t say I comprehend you Charlie. H.D.D. is something I’ve never heard of and I’ve been around for thousands of years. What does it represent?”

Charlie: “That’s because I just made it up pal, ha, ha, ha. It stands for Holiness Deficit Disorder pal. And God’s children were really serious about changing and becoming the kind of people He wants them to be my brother’s shrink could make a ton of dough advising them how to change. And they would. The shrink would have more business than he could handle. Claude would be a like walking billboard for the guy”

Angel: “I see what you mean Charlie. If the Scriptures were utilized by His children as our God’s instruction manual we would certainly marvel at the extraordinary results. Lives would be transformed. God would be glorified and His children would indeed delight in Him always.”

Charlie: “I’m following you pal and I couldn’t agree more.”

Angel: “That’s wonderful Charlie. Unfortunately it often takes His children quite some time before they learn everything our God is teaching them. With some it takes years, even a lifetime. It all depends on how teachable and sincere the person is about pleasing God. For instance, how many Christian’s have you known, who from the moment they were reborn, possessed a singular burning desire to become Christ like?

Charlie: Come to think about it I can’t remember anybody pal.

Angel: May I ask another question?”

Charlie: “Go for it pal.”

Angel: “Who in your estimation was the most Christ-like person our God has brought into your life?”

Charlie: “Piece of cake pal. That old guy that used to live next door to us always reminded me of Jesus. Martha and I never missed one of his Saturday morning Bible studies. It was the highlight of our week. My wise guy kid even got a lot out of them. The old guy had quite a reputation. Around town he was referred to as The Wise Man.”

Angel: “I must say I concur with their assessment Charlie. Incidentally he was the same man that fell into the grave on that memorable Halloween night many years previously.”

Charlie: “You’ve got to be kidding.”

Angel: “I assure you I’m not Charlie.”

Charlie: “So what you’re implying is that God used that humiliating experience to humble him and get his attention, to turn him around.”

Angel: “Precisely Charlie. That singular experience was simply one of a lifetime of personal difficulties which our God planned on allowing and using to teach the man that He does not, nor can He, ever wink at sin, and that His children must sincerely struggle to change. We have explored how He often inclines them to forsake sinning. Needless to say however, they can’t achieve that accomplishment without first pleading with Him to give them the strength to do so. And He will do precisely that, I might add.

Charlie: “So that seemingly ridiculous experience was really a blessing in disguise.”

Angel: “Praise the Lord Charlie, you finally got it, so to speak. Now I’m wondering if I might ask a favor of you.”

Charlie: “Yeah Pal. Anything!”

Angel: “Very well then. May I indulge is some of what little children often refer to as being quiet time?”

Charlie: “Go for it pal. It’s all yours.”

(TO BE CONTINUED)