The Whys

By AIC Timothy Espinoza

I can’t stop thinking about a good friend who died unexpectedly at the beginning of the year. He had renewed his faith while we were incarcerated together, and the Lord was blessing him and his family after his release. It was beautiful to behold.

His sudden death, just nine months after his release, was like a kick in the guts. Why Lord? After faithfully waiting through those years of separation and trying to be dad to three kids and husband to his faithful wife, his broken-hearted family had to face the loss, not even a year after his welcome home.

….a place where sorrow abides, where brokenness is everywhere.

Prison is a place of never-ending tragedy. Men relive their fateful choices every day. They are haunted by their past, loathing themselves, and hating others. It’s a place where sorrow abides, where brokenness is everywhere.

Orphanages are also a place of never-ending tragedy.  After all, what’s more tragic than precious children alone in the world with the loss of parents who brought them into it? No doubt, the orphan questions the circumstances of their parents’ deaths every day, asking an invisible God why they had to die. The children probably feel haunted by the prospects for their futures. They probably struggle with self-worth and our same desires to be loved. Orphanages are a place usually associated with sorrow and brokenness.

I’ll never be able to answer all the “Whys” of my friend’s sudden passing. His wife and kids won’t either. Nor will all those affected by the many crimes of prisoners, nor will the orphans ever have an answer for their lot in life.

The answer to all life’s “Whys”

God doesn’t guarantee answers to those who come to Him. He doesn’t try to manipulate or entice with things the human soul craves. He simply loves and beckons us into trust. The answer to all life’s “Whys” is faith in God. Faith in his infinite goodness, power, and wisdom.

Whether you’re a prisoner, or the victim of one, whether you are an orphan or a widow, God is the answer to all the “Whys”. He is the eternal solace of all those who turn to him in the aftermath of tragedy, rather than turning away from Him in the bitterness and anger.

Not your average prisoners – not your run of the mill orphans

God is working all things together for good to those who will love him. (Romans 8:28). The AIC involved with Visions of Hope are not your average prisoners. They have learned to live out their faith by forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead. (Philippians 3:13) The kids of Otino Waa are also not your run of the mill orphans. They have learned to believe for bright futures, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of their faith. (Hebrews 12:2)

I’m praying for my friend’s widow and the kids. My friend is with the Lord in glory, his faith is now complete. He was a part of Visions of Hope, a world changer. He will be missed, but we will see him again!