The Guitar Isn’t Broken, We Just Stopped Tuning

The First Step👣

If God is good… why doesn’t He stop mass shootings?

If He’s so powerful… why does He allow children to die in warzones, or hatred to roam freely in the streets, or injustice to win again and again?

These aren’t just questions. They’re cries . And they echo in every tragedy, every headline, every tear-stained prayer whispered in hospital waiting rooms or refugee camps.

And they’re fair questions. Real ones.Ones we shouldn't silence just because they’re uncomfortable.

So today, I don’t want to offer a sermon. I want to offer a reflection, a picture.

Imagine this:

You hand someone a guitar. They’ve never played before. They don’t ask how it works. They don’t study the notes or respect the strings. They just start banging on it, wildly, loudly, however they want.

They say, “I’m free to do what I want.”They insist, “Don’t tell me how to play.”

Now imagine the sound that comes out of that guitar. Not music.Just chaos.Just noise.

Now multiply that by a few billion people, all playing differently, all rejecting the same instructions.

And somehow, when the concert turns unbearable,we turn around and ask,“Why would the Maker let this happen?”

The Pebble in My Path🚶🏽‍➡️

That question: Why doesn’t God stop this?, isn’t about a moment. It’s about the aching disconnect between God’s character and the world we see.

If He’s so kind, why is there cruelty? If He’s so just, why is there oppression? If He’s love, why does it feel like hate is winning?

And underneath all that is something deeper: a world that craves freedom without structure. A world that wants to play any way it wants, and still demands that the outcome be beautiful.

But that’s not how music works. And it’s not how love works either.

Love that is forced is control. Love that is real must be chosen.

And the terrible, holy truth is this:

God values our freedom to choose, even when we choose things that break His heart.

The Compass🧭

God didn’t create us to be puppets. He didn’t wire us to follow Him by default.He gave us minds, wills, souls, and the freedom to say yes… or no.

And with that freedom comes risk. The risk that we’ll choose selfishness over mercy.Violence over peace.Noise over music.

But freedom is the foundation of real love.

So when people ask, “Why doesn’t God stop the evil?” the answer is hard, but honest:

Because stopping evil would mean stopping choice. And stopping choice would erase the possibility of love.

We see the chao, and we assume the Guitar is broken. But the problem isn’t the design. It’s that we’ve rejected the tuning.

We want to play our own way, define right and wrong for ourselves, reject the Teacher, and still be mad when the sound is unbearable.

But when you slow down…When you sit with the One who created you…When you learn the chords of kindness, the rhythm of grace, the harmony of humility…

You make music that heals. Not because you were forced.But because you chose to learn love.

The Open Trail🛣️

Maybe this week, instead of blaming the Guitar, we ask if we’ve been willing to tune it.

Maybe instead of asking, “Why doesn’t God stop the noise?” we ask, “Have I been contributing to it?”

The world is full of people playing wildly, hurtfully, selfishly, and we’re hearing the sound of that freedom with no foundation.

But the Guitar isn’t broken. And the Maker isn’t absent. He’s still here. Still willing to teach. Still whispering, “Let me show you what this life can sound like.”

So this week, don’t be afraid to sit with the hard questions. Don’t rush past the ache. But also don’t forget to listen for the music that still plays when a soul is in tune with the One who made it.

Because the world may be loud… but love still sings.

Stay barefoot. Stay honest.Stay close to the ground.

— Barefoot Gospel