Being Honest With Myself
If I’m honest with myself, I would say I could have written this article, Send a Message to God by Heather MacDonald on Slate. Weary and tired of calamity, puzzled by Christians who praise God for the survivors while casting a blind eye to the sovereign God who let the disaster happen, I might confess that it seems illogical and downright foolish to continue following a God who will not deliver us all in every instance of our life.
And yet, I still believe and I still give my devotion Jesus. But in that relationship I have with the Supreme Ruler, I also believe He’s big enough to field questions from the peanut gallery. Sometimes He answers, just trust me, and other times it’s I’m God. I do as I please. And in both answers He gives me what I need.
I notice this is in my “theology” section titled mirror darkly. Very darkly indeed.
Kaysi says:
August 31st, 2005 at 12:19 pm
I so appreciate the balance you demonstrate here. Obviously, I don’t think boycotting God is the answer, as the article suggests, but at the same time, I feel what that person is saying. I do find it so repulsive when Christians sugarcoat heartache and tragedy by stating simply that God is in control and is entitled to do whatever He wants. Sure, it’s true, but where is the love in that? Aren’t we supposed to “speak the truth in love”? It’s no wonder someone would suggest a boycott of God when so much of the Christian world is unwilling to admit that yes, something very terrible has happened. I think this is exactly why I so appreciated the revised “Shout to the Lord” lyrics you introduced. And I liked that they were paired with the original, because–well, using the tsunami incident as an example, I say by all means, go ahead and praise God for the survivors! But at the same time, please don’t ignore the tragedy, either!
jack says:
September 1st, 2005 at 2:55 pm
It’s the old paradox. If God is good and powerful, why doesn’t he do something about evil? It’s something I see myself wrestling with for as long as I follow Jesus.
Kaysi says:
September 2nd, 2005 at 8:11 am
Me too