As much as I try to make sense of some of the things I've seen and experienced it just doesn't happen. Truth is, I don't think God wants everything to happen. It's discouraging to think so many kids die everyday who wouldn't if they had been given a meal. It's not your "responsibility" to give those starving kids a meal, but God blesses those of us who are born into privilege with the invitation and opportunities to literally save lives. Why would anyone pass by such an honor and gift. We have the means and education to hep, and yet today 16,000 kids will die from hunger-related causes. What can we do? Pray... give funds... and share their stories. And be blessed by what you are able to give. God saves so many of these kids through RHFH... and I know my year there has blessed me beyond words. I miss my life there daily when I read stories of the new kids in the Rescue Center. Licia's blog blesses me every time she posts with reminders of the world only 2 hours from the US.
http://haitirescuecenter.wordpress.com/
Take a minute today and read some of her posts...
Hello.
ReplyDeleteI put your blog in my "Haiti" folder, and whenever I select "Open all tabs" I see your last post. I haven't removed it from the folder because I really respect your honesty and want to know how things go for you.
You have written about the most painful discovery that most Christians make, that God doesn't act in the ways we want. You've found it out in a heartbreaking way in the deaths of children whose faces, smiles, and voices you knew and loved. Some people lose their faith at this point. They either decide that there must not be a God at all, or that God must be in some way evil. Either way, they can no longer pray or worship.
I have lost my faith several times over the years (I am in my 50s) but I have always come back, not because I figured out the problem but because I have an innate belief in God. I believe that God is present at all times and in all places. (I don't think God started the world and then walked away.) Nonetheless, although God is omnipresent, in terms of action in the world, I believe that God is often remote. The traditional explanation is that, essentially, God refrains from fixing everything so as to give us free will to choose Him and make our own moral decisions. The consequences for the innocent and defenseless are what you have observed and are grieving over.
There are psalms that talk about how God rescues the prisoner, defends the innocent, and brings the evildoer to justice. For some Christians, it is a requirement of faith to somehow believe that God actually does this day by day. For me, it is part of faith to recognize and grieve over the fact that this is not what I see. I read these psalms as statements of hope and faith in the Kingdom of Heaven. And, they are a description of what *we* are supposed to do, because Jesus said "The Kingdom of Heaven is among you." We aren't able to make it happen fully, but whenever we act out God's love in the world, we bring it closer. We see glimpses of it.
Many Christians believe that God is always looking over their shoulder and helping out in a pinch. To them it is faithless to think otherwise. In my opinion, when we recognize that this is not so, this challenge is part of the maturing of our faith. Jesus himself despaired on the cross. I'm sure he did this so that God Incarnate would experience every human emotion, including the most painful ones. God understands what you are going through and is not angry with you. Your faith is not inferior because you are honest about your painful emotions.
I don't know if this post is well timed or not. If any of it is helpful, I'm glad. Have a wonderful Christmas and don't forget to have some FUN.
Your friend in Boston,
Nancy