August 12, 2026

Why do bad things happen to good people and why do good things happen to bad people? What are good things and what are bad? I've been thinking about this lately, specifically in the form of "what are blessings?".

Is wealth a blessing or a curse? What about health? Prominence? Trials?

God may grant us these things but what makes any of them blessings or not? My opinion is that a blessing is anything that brings us closer to our Savior and our Heavenly Father. Yes, God blesses us and we can choose scorn and misuse what we are given and that does not diminish His goodness. But ultimately a thing is not a true blessing to us unless we grow closer to God because of it, or rather because of how we use our agency to act with it. This is how trials can be blessings and gifts can be curses.

Job 21

13 They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave.

14 Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.

15 What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?

Job 23

10 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

Is this not part of our purpose? To become agents to act and not objects to be acted upon? How we choose to use what we've been given sorts gifts into blessing or curse. This is one reason good things happen to bad people and vice versa; the gifts aren't good or bad, our choice to draw closer to the Lord or drift further away is what makes anything good or bad. Blessings bring us to our Savior because of agency.

A friend, Joe Peck, asked me "what is infinite love?".

That's a great question.. Christ taught that "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends". I believe there are 3 levels of this "greater love". The first is literal and obvious, to die for someone. While noble and a true act of love, I believe the second surpasses it - to LIVE for someone. Many times it is more difficult to give our life (time, efforts, etc...) to serve others. Then again, I haven't died for someone, so what do I know? Finally, the infinite love that only One could perform is to both live and die for everyone, however, not just physical death, but a spiritual death that lays upon one lamb the infinite sum of sorrows and results in a Perfect Son suffering for all imperfection and experiencing a moment of undeserved separation from His Father. In consecutive breaths, to plead for forgiveness of His trespassers, and then to cry "my God, my God, why hath thou forsaken me" - to not want the bitter cup but to drink it up out of obedience and love - that is infinite love to me. To consider it... I stand all amazed.