It Was Never Meant to Be This Way

In 2006 I spent three months in a little country in Africa called Swaziland. At that point in time it was stated that almost half of the population was infected with HIV/AIDS. When I went there I was expecting to see the devastation that this disease was causing, but in truth I saw very little of it. In that country, it was considered shameful to have the disease and so they would hide those who carried it. This does not mean, however that I did not see any of it. You did not have to see the physical affects to know that something was terribly wrong with the people. You could see it in the eyes, in the way people walked and it the way they built their lives. There was a weighed down sort of atmoshere, and the depressing part was that there was nothing these people could do to escape it.
I also saw how the selfishness of others lead to the breakdown of the country. Let us be blunt and honest. The spread of HIV/AIDS is caused by people not willing to practice self-control. Their concern is not for the well being of the people they get into bed with; it is for what they can get out of the moment of pleasure. It is this kind of attitude that has triggered the death of the country, and it has left much pain, sorrow, hunger, and suffering among its people. This is what I came into contact with while I was there: the after affects.
Being in a situation like this is very intimidating. You feel very small and lacking. You try to help as much as possible, but you still feel like a drop in the ocean at times. One day I was sitting on a hill talking to God and I asked him, "Father, why do you allow the innocent to suffer, and the guilty to walk free?". I already knew the answer to the question, but I was having a hard time understanding the reason behind it. I know that suffering came about by sin. If it were not for the sins of the people suffering would have not place, but what I could not understand how so often the ones who did no wrong were handed such grief. I sat and waited for a reply and it came.
His answer, "Ellen, I see the sin you speak of at its most disgusting point. You are just scratching the surface with your awareness. I see it all every hour of the day and night; my face is never hidden from it, and I hate it was much as you do. I do not like to see them suffer, but you need to understand this world is going some place; it will not last forever, and all that is happening in the world is leading up to that point. All of this must come to pass if the story is going to have a happy ending. Ellen, I have been here for all time; there is not end to me, therefore I have remembered all of the injustice that has been done in the world, and I have not forgotten a single one. One day I will come back and hold everyone accountable for the sins they have inflicted on others. They will be paid in full for the magnitude of their actions, and it will not be a pretty sight. I hate to wait; I have been waiting since the beginning of time to bring you all back to me, but now is not the right moment. Ellen, will you wait with me?"
All of this flashed in my mind and I understood. Yes the innocent will be rewarded for their endurance someday. Therefore I will do my part to stand by them as much as I am able,and give them the support they need to make it to that day.