from Chapter 11

“They Are What They Are”

Previously, he had judged each major event of life, success or tragedy, as either good or evil. But now he began to perceive that circumstances, whether fortunate or unfortunate, are morally neutral. They simply are what they are; what matters is how we respond to them.

Yancey, Philip. Where Is God When It Hurts? (Zondervan: Grand Rapids, 1990), 155-6.