As a kid, I thought about God a lot. That may have been an unusual thing for a kid to do, but God was on my mind constantly. Maybe it was because my mom used the threat that God was watching me on a regular basis to try to get me to behave (didn’t help). When I grew up and realized I had ADHD, I came to see it as a gift from God, so why would God punish me for the way God made me? Moving on – I began to notice that people used God a lot for their own needs. They would ask God to give them stuff in prayer – they would tell me that they knew what God wanted for me; that God even had a set plan for my life! Really? I would look around me and think, “Why doesn’t God like me? This isn’t much of a life!” I jettisoned the “God’s plan” idea pretty early on, and I think I got that one right.
I admit that I wish I did know what God wants; if God would just tell me how you should live your life, wouldn’t that make things so much better? I could let you know when you are right and when you are wrong – I could help you keep yourself in line. I think this is why people like the idea that God is in control; it gives them an out when things happen that are out of their control. Your child dies? God is in control. Lose your job and home? God has a plan. Don’t worry – be happy! God is your pilot. If our lives are hard, it will be okay, because Jesus is coming in our lifetime! Don’t fret your pretty little head about it; I know what God wants.
Nope. I’m not buying it. I will admit that I think we can know, in a vague way, what God needs from us. Jesus was pretty clear about how we are supposed to live; the problem is that few of us do it. And God might have a plan – or multiple plans – but it seems that every time a plan is in place in Scripture, people screw it up! Nobody knows what God really wants! We have freedom to choose our paths, and it is my belief that we should do it with God’s needs in mind. People are hungry? Create systems that help them get fed today while they gain the ability to do it for themselves tomorrow. People are homeless? Stop with the market-driven nonsense and get housing costs under control. These seem like much better options than what we are currently dealing with.
Stop blaming God for our problems. God isn’t destroying the environment – God isn’t telling people to shoot each other. God isn’t waging war or causing our divisions. All of these problems are on us, and so are the solutions. God wants us to love each other and treat each other as we would like to be treated. The rest is on us.
Prayer – God, forgive us for blaming You for the sins we commit. You want love and peace, not hatred and war. Cure us of our madness, we pray. Amen.
Today’s art is “We Become God’s Painting” by Rolandas Zigonis.