I was watching an interview with a high school wrestler who was on his way to a huge win at a national tournament, and he said that a year ago, he promised God that he would do everything God wanted him to do, and he knew that this would be an amazing year – and it has been. At 17, he is one of the most remarkable wrestlers I have ever seen, and he will only get better. We are looking at a future four-time national champion. and who knows how many Olympic gold medals he will win. As I listened to him, though, I wanted to teleport and sit down with him and have a talk, because this isn’t how God works. God’s love and gifts are not transactional, and sometimes stuff happens that derails our hopes and dreams.
This boy seems like a really good person; he’s smart, talented, and driven. I have no doubt that he will, someday, be on a list of the five best wrestlers ever. But God isn’t the one who will put him there. Sure, we are all endowed by God with special gifts and strengths – and weaknesses. We should thank God for this amazing life, because God is the source of all creation. To believe, however, that we achieve or thrive of are prosperous because God likes us better than everyone else isn’t truth – it’s theological narcissism. Much like the story of Job – which I cannot stand, by the way – we can be going along with a beautiful life, and everything can crash down on us. Believing that God is in control is a pure denial of chaos and chance and bad luck and free will. I know we are taught that God will take care of us, but to believe we will never experience hardship because we are faithful is magical thinking.
It is also cruel. Try saying that God is in control to a family who lost a child in a school shooting. Or a spouse who has to watch the love of their life die a slow death to cancer. It is the most arrogant and hard-hearted thing we teach our children and each other about God. God isn’t picking and choosing who does or does not experience tragedy, nor does God close those metaphorical eyes and pick a name out of a hat (also metaphorical). Whether it is free will or chaos or plain bad luck, we all know that bad things happen to all of us. The rain falls on the just and the unjust. Maybe we should stop with the fatalism/destiny nonsense and teach a different idea – that life is filled with joy and sorrow, and God is with us, holding our hands, through all of it. That God weeps with us, just like Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus. I hope that all goes well for this young wrestler; I also hope that, if it doesn’t, he will feel God with him, holding him and loving him in the midst of loss. Because God isn’t a micromanager and God isn’t cruel – God is love.
Prayer – Holy God, thank You for being present with us at all times, and for the love we feel from You. Amen.
Today’s art is “The Love of God” by Georgiana Houghton.