If God is not in control, why not? Why is an all powerful being not working his magic in our lives--doing good for all that are good and dealing out pain to all who deserve it? Why isn't he working to make my life work out? Answers to those questions aren't easily found, and even if I knew every answer and could explain them in a perfect way, I'm not sure you could except the answer. However, I will try to discuss the above questions as best as I can.
First of all, why does God choose not to be in control? In earlier posts I talked about how God wants a relationship with us more than anything else. Consider everyone with whom you've had a relationship that used an element of control within the relationship. Were your parents controlling? If not, was there a teacher, boss, co-worker, boyfriend, girlfriend, wife or husband who tried to control you? Did you love them for it? I'm not asking if you loved them. I want to know whether or not their control of your life enabled you to love them?
Probably not. I had a supervisor, a fellow Christian, who tried to control me--to "micromanage" me in a position in which I was serving the church. He wanted me to do certain things in order that the ministry of the church succeed. To give him the benefit of the doubt, I will say that he, in fact, wanted me to succeed. But his path to success involved me coming to him with every decision I made, and it required that I do precisely what he wanted me to do in the way he wanted me to do it. As one could imagine, this did not serve the friendly relationship we had before he was my supervisor. Just the opposite happened. Animosity grew in our relationship. Actually, there were times when I felt inches away from doing him physical harm. I suppose I hated him. I have since had to recognize how much I was in the wrong for entertaining these emotions, but the truth remains, his control of me did not maintain a relationship it destroyed it.
Consider also the parent who seeks only their children's happiness, giving their children everything they wish and removing every obstacle in their child's way whether it is a consequence for bad behavior or a teacher who assigns them too much homework. Is this how a loving parent-child relationship is fostered. Not at all. This kind of parenting results not in love but in resentment on both sides. Plus, such parenting often makes children unable to succeed in the world.
If God is going to have a loving relationship with his children. He is going to have to do so without stepping in at every moment to rescue them from harm, and shower them with good at every moment of their lives.
He needs a better plan.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Grief
It has been a month since the last post. That is because I want to be extra careful about how the next idea I want to put forth is presented. I decided to do a bit more research and study before I say what I am going to say next. I am still not ready to say it at this time. I do, however, want to point out that a guiding thought behind all that I have written so far is that it is meant to be a response to the pain in our everyday lives. That includes deep and intense pain that comes with life's most terrible tragedies.
I have friends going through such a tragedy right now. After 8 1/2 years of infertility, these good people just got word that they had successfully conceived. Now, several weeks later, they are grappling with the pain of having lost the pregnancy to miscarriage. I had to ask myself if what I was writing about God on this blog was something I would want these friends to read. I decided it is something I'd want them to read, but, at the same time, that very idea made me see the need for some caution on my part. I always want to be careful with people's pain.
Like roughly handling a limb with broken bone, pain that is mishandled can further harm a person beyond their initial injury. That is the last thing I would want to do to them or anyone else reading what I have written.
Grief, I have learned, is its own entity. It is not a question to be answered or a problem to be solved. It is a very real--almost measurable force within the human personality. I certainly do not want to make it sound as if my claims are meant to assuage anyone's grief. That is not in my power.
What is in my power is the ability to help those who are hurting to talk through the ideas about God that they might hold, especially those that make us unable to connect with Him during times of hurt.
That is my quest, and I hope to continue it in my next post.
I have friends going through such a tragedy right now. After 8 1/2 years of infertility, these good people just got word that they had successfully conceived. Now, several weeks later, they are grappling with the pain of having lost the pregnancy to miscarriage. I had to ask myself if what I was writing about God on this blog was something I would want these friends to read. I decided it is something I'd want them to read, but, at the same time, that very idea made me see the need for some caution on my part. I always want to be careful with people's pain.
Like roughly handling a limb with broken bone, pain that is mishandled can further harm a person beyond their initial injury. That is the last thing I would want to do to them or anyone else reading what I have written.
Grief, I have learned, is its own entity. It is not a question to be answered or a problem to be solved. It is a very real--almost measurable force within the human personality. I certainly do not want to make it sound as if my claims are meant to assuage anyone's grief. That is not in my power.
What is in my power is the ability to help those who are hurting to talk through the ideas about God that they might hold, especially those that make us unable to connect with Him during times of hurt.
That is my quest, and I hope to continue it in my next post.
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