In which I wonder if God can be trusted? Part 4

August 22, 2009

(You can read about why I’m doing this at Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.)

I’ve been stuck for a while. Got a few emails from you guys wondering if I just gave up. I didn’t. I haven’t. Just been stuck.

Every one brings their own bias, their own upbringing, their own experiences, their own knowledge or understanding to these age-old questions, right? So we never are truly objective.

Our answers or wanderings vary whether or not you believe in God and, if you do, whether or not you believe that he is a God of love or a God of Indifference or Anger etc.

I got stuck there.

Until I realised something. Had an epiphany, if you will (*wink to my Dad*).

I have my feet on firm foundation again.

He loves me. He loves you.

He loves, he loves, he loves.

His very nature and his essence are love.

His love is ferocious, unrelenting, gentle and never-ending.

His love is unconditional, unmitigated and forgiving.

His love is without reason and his love covers it all.

His love is inclusive, binding, mysterious and strong.

He loves like a lover.

He loves like a husband.

He loves like a mother and like a father.

He is both the Lion and the Lamb, the parent and the lover,

the breath of life, the bread and also the wine.

He is the storm and the calm,

the whisper and the whirlwind.

So I’m ready to ask again – why do we suffer? Why is there pain? Where is God in the face of such madness and atrocities and evil?

Can God be trusted?

I read a book that really messed with me (and I mean that in a good way) called “He Loves Me” by Wayne Jacobsen. It’s logical, Biblical and revolutionary for those of us that struggle with insecurity. (Because me? That’s my Waterloo. Insecurity, people pleasing, you name it – that’s where I have many, shall we call them?, opportunities to grow.)

We pick through our experiences or history like we’re pulling daisy petals: he loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not. When my daughter was was healed – he loves me. When I lied or cheated – He loves me not. When I got that job – He loves me. When my child drank too much or started doing drugs – He loves me not. When I got the result I wanted – He loves me. When I didn’t get the result I wanted – He loves me not.

We pick through our circumstances using them to decide whether or not God loves us.

Things like loss, unrealised dreams, murder, adultery, illness, infidelity, anger, loneliness, abandonment – whether insignificant to some or monstrously significant to the world – they can’t be the mirror through which we make that decision.

Either He loves or He doesn’t.

So if He does – and I believe and know that he does – then our sin, our choices, the choices of others that were inflicted upon us, those evil things that take over our society at times, those circumstances aren’t a reflection of his love or a lack thereof.

His love covers it all.

His love covers us all.

Even though I do not understand it yet. And I may never understand it. I may never come to a truly satisfactory answer for those questions. Much smarter and wiser people than me have very divergent opinions.

But I know this one thing: He is love.

And so every question I ask comes from the understanding, the platform, the genesis of his love. Not his indifference, not his anger, not even the question of his existence. I am not starting from zero. I’m starting from the point of Love, from the assumption, the understanding, the basis of His unrelenting love.

I have settled one thing – yes, He can be trusted. Not because I have all of the answers. But because I know one thing above all else – He loves us.

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  • Brittaney

    Exactly! His love is the basis for everything.

  • jill rosalie

    I am rereading "He Loves Me" right now! Gradually working my way through it, and making index cards for each chapter of the parts that are highlights for me. It's a very good book supporting one of the most important truths.

  • Mary

    This concept is so deep it's hard to really fathom it sometimes. I'm trying to grasp this concept of God's love..in a real way..not in the flippant "God loves you.." way.

    I wonder if I really believe it sometimes. I mean, if I did, why would I doubt so much?

  • Jo@Mylestones

    Sarah, I've thought about this very thing so very much. My conclusions are as yours. Pain/suffering remains the stumbling block for me, but in His love, I see Him remove the stumbling block over and over.
    You might like this post I wrote a while ago about pain/trust/faith…
    http://mainelymyles.blogspot.com/2009/01/there-is-goodness-and-there-is-more.html

    (Sorry if I'm being tacky to share it here…forgivable I hope)

  • Ti’el

    Lovely Sarah. Just lovely!

In which I wonder if God can be trusted Part 2

May 7, 2009

Part 1 is here.

I feel like I need to state again that I am so thankful for you and your insights as I write this out. I am not quite sure where I’ll end up here and that can be an odd place to be. I am striving to be open in my journey – open to God, open to the Holy Spirit, open to Jesus and now, open to my community of friends and family.

I appreciate your stories and comments so much – much food for thought (and prayer). I appreciate that you are all giving me the space to do this. Plus you are giving me your collective wisdom and understanding.

My heart is not to give offense to anyone. Know that I am prayerfully embarking on this journey and I am full of hope even as I am full of questions.

I think that most people grapple with this question or a derivative of it in their life. Augustine, the Buddha, Martin Luther, C.S. Lewis, my grade two teacher and so on.

So at least we’re all in good company, eh?

I have decided that this might be an ongoing project over the next few months. I have a lot of questions that I am going to try to work through.

Here is an idea of where I’m headed on this journey (I think…):

  • A look at my own background and how we use our faith traditions to answer this question.
  • Our impact on the state of affairs. As Sandy asked in the original post, we ask God “Why do you allow this?” and the response from Him is “Why have you allowed this?” In short, what role does social justice have in this? How much of this is our (humanity as a whole’s) responsibility?
  • Do we deserve anything different? Has our depravity as a human race only given us these options? (Thanks for throwing that one in the mix, Gina!)
  • Is everything that happens the plan of God? What role does the sovereignty of God play here? Or not.
  • Is everything that we see as wrong an attack of the devil? (Ah, yes. The devil. Haven’t talked about him here for a while, have we?)
  • What about free will? Is it all just the implication of living in a “fallen world”?
  • Are we waiting for heaven? Will everything be made right?
  • Can evil and goodness coexist? As my friend Jill pointed out, there is a tension between faith and fear, love and hate. So can good exist while evil exists?
  • What is the character or nature of God? Is he good?
  • What is the role of suffering here? Many times we note in scripture that suffering is sacred. Many cited Job’s suffering and his faithfulness: “Though he (God) slay me, yet will I trust him.”
  • How much of it is a mystery that we simply need to embrace? Should we just let go of this question, understanding that “his ways are above our ways”?
  • What about the ultimate redemption, kingdom come and all?
  • And finally, what is the role of the community of God in all of this? What are the implications for those of us towards one another? How do we offer support and comfort to the suffering?

So what else am I missing?

I look at that list above and I am overwhelmed. Much smarter people than me grapple with this to no avail. Much smarter and holier people than me don’t care.

But I am hopeful.

Jesus, be near.

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  • Sarah

    I so want to write a really really long response to this, but that would be a little self-indulgent and vain wouldn’t it? I mean it’s not really fair that I have all the answers or at least am content with the answers I do have. But in all seriousness I definitely think that this is a journey that everyone should take. Don’t you just love that God doesn’t mind our questions?
    5/7/2009 2:25 PM Brittaney delete reply @Brittaney – I’d enjoy reading where you’ve landed, Brittaney. I am pretty content with my own answers too! They came after some pretty tough stuff in my life journey, so I feel kind of attached to them.

    Sarah, you are so right, this seems to be “the” question that stops people a lot, especially in our day and age. It will be interesting to watch you process this.
    5/7/2009 2:55 PM Tasia007 (message) block delete reply Sarah, I think you’re right – really smart and spiritual people have grappled with these questions throughout the ages. I ask many of them myself.

    Lately, I tend to lean toward the necessity to embrace mystery (unless and until God wants to fill me in on His perspective regarding a particular situation. Each circumstance of suffering is unique, and He might have different answers for different situations). But perhaps that tendency is just a resignation of control. I just don’t have it all figured out sometimes, and I’m slowly coming to peace with that.

    Sometimes my questions have tended to be informational in nature rather than relational. God is breaking me of this habit. This may sound strange, but He is teaching me to ask different kinds of questions in the midst of suffering. Questions like: What do You want to reveal to me about Yourself in this situation? Or, if it’s regarding the suffering of someone else: What do you want to reveal to them about Yourself in this situation? How do You want to change how I (or they) relate to You as a result of this situation? What redemptive purpose, or gift, do you have in all of this?

    There are times when life really sucks. And that’s when we are most in need of Him. But sometimes, we can’t fully come to Him in our doubt of His good character, or in our anger that so commonly accompanies our grief. Even in that, He isn’t offended. He is faithful even when we are unable to be full of faith. He just diligently continues seeking us out to comfort and heal. They don’t call Him the “Comforter” for nothing. :)

    I have a charismatic background, and I have found that themes of suffering and sacrifice were not adequately addressed in that particular stream (IMHO). I am just beginning to learn about it, but less in an informational sense, and more in a relational one as I journey with the Comfortor.

    Good luck on your journey. I pray that He speaks to the particular situations that you are wondering about, and gives you understanding of Himself in that context. Blessings to you and yours…
    5/7/2009 9:46 PM Sarah (site) delete reply

  • Sarah

    Sarah, I am looking forward to your perspective on suffering. I don't know if what I write will make much sense, but it's helped me. I know when my sister tragically & unexpectedly died, I can honestly say I never once blamed God or questioned Him, I don't know if being at the age of 14 and still somewhat innocent I just took Him at His Word, and believed that He'd never leave me nor forsake me…so I just clung. I was so thankful for the 9 1/2yrs we had with her. I've also seen some amazing stories of faith years later come out of this situation even inspiring three different mothers to name their child after her. Fast forward 7 yrs…I also saw through unfortunate choices alot of close friends from church suffer and struggle from another person's mistakes. This is where/when my questions began to flow, but I was still able to handle what you could call self-inflicted pain (brought on by poor choices) that had a domino effect which burdened and effected alot of people. Where I certain struggle also like yourself is comprehending why I was given opportunity and a blessed life when others never had the chance to know anything else but destruction and pain -like those in other countries overseas born into disease or hate, or those born into an abusive family…why not me? This rips me apart. Joey hears this question from me alot at night right before we go to bed. Then I think, if I feel like this I wonder how much more the Father hurts for His people, how He must ache for His creation, I really get so sad when I think about this, it makes me just want to hold God's hand and hug Him. I know I might sound silly, but this helps me cope. Focusing more on God's deep, deep desire for intimacy for all His creation and that before He was God who should just "turn things off like a switch", He was "LOVE that continues to SEEK us through His gift of free-will". Therefore, He must BELIEVE in us so much more than we believe in ourselves…through all the sad and misfortunate circumstances of this world that will continue to come, God believes that one more LIFE-IN-LOVE with their creator can make the difference to a struggling relative, friend, neighbor, coworker, community, country, world…

    Looking forward to your blog, thanks so much for sharing your heart =)
    Much Love, Shannon 5/8/2009 1:24 PM Shannon Gallegos (site) delete reply

  • Sarah

    One of my favourite podcasters (Wayne Jacobsen http://www.thegodjourney.com) once said, or perhaps more than once, anyhoo, he said that we can only trust someone as much as we know that they love us. This made total sense to me right away particularly in regards to the relationships I have and those that I entrust myself too. I do that with those around me that I know love me, that want the best for me. Often that’s people that will even have a different perspective than me, but I’m prepared to trust their opinion because I know they love me.

    This is no different then my relationship with God. The more I understand His love for me, the more I trust him. The more I realise that he only has my best interest at heart, that he will always do what is right, and that he’ll be there no matter what the circumstances, the more I’m able to relax into that – come what may.
    When I come across situations that make me question where He is in it, I find myself automatically going now to “What is it about your love for me that I don’t get yet?”

    5/8/2009 9:28 PM Tez_T (message) block delete reply I’ve really struggled with the doctrine of hell. I think in some ways it is a similar struggle as you have. I still have a lot of struggling to do with that doctrine and to be honest I know what I THINK I believe about it but I can’t say I’m very confident in my beliefs. I praise God that through this struggle though it has caused me to seek God even more. And I rest at night knowing that the words from this soveriegn grace song are true- Whatever my God ordains is right, in his love I am abiding.
    5/12/2009 12:54 PM futurepastorswife (message) block delete reply

In which I wonder if God can be trusted Part 1

April 30, 2009

I mentioned that I hit a bit of a wall during Lent. I’m going to start to unpack it but it’s too much to do in one post. I hope you’ll stay with me over the next few days as we go through this.

I’m still processing it myself and so I welcome your insights and comments and shared stories.

This was not not how I expected my Lent to proceed. I had expected to feel very holy and reflective. I had expected for God speak to me, for my heart to be renewed, my faith to be strengthened.

Instead, I have been mired in questions and doubts.

And it’s for a reason that a lot of people will understand – where is God when people suffer?

Where is He when people die?

Where is God when hearts are broken, children are sex-trafficked, famines ravage, AIDS rages, roadside bombs tear apart families and children are wounded?

What about evil and suffering?

You see, I have watched Angie lose her baby. And even though she has reacted with faith, to be honest, I have not. I have thought to myself, “I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t lose my baby and be so…faithful.” And then Jennifer‘s healed baby wound up back in the hospital, dying by heartbeats (Stellan is now home).

Mothers in Africa do not love their children any less than I do. There are famines and wars. Devastating wounds. Women all over the world are raped and beaten – my sisters. And then there are those closer to home like a friend that is sick and unable to care for her baby girl, another friend that is close to losing everything and is contemplating moving to a homeless shelter with her two children.

Every image of pain I had ever seen, every story of heartache I’d ever heard, filled my soul and I felt that I was drowning in their pain.

I started to have nightmares. What if that was my child? What if it was my Annie or my Joe?

I dreamed of standing by my children’s beds, watching them die. I felt under attack for days, praying and clinging but not seeing an answer. During the day, I fought tears and heartache, praying and praying and praying, yet not sensing God anywhere near. My mind and heart filling with the broken, the lonely, the burned out, the beaten, the dying and abused.

And I thought “Where is God in all of this? Either he doesn’t exist or he exists and doesn’t care. Or he could do something and he doesn’t. Or worse, does it depend on me? On my faith or actions? Because that is a big load to bear.”

All were frightening prospects to me.

It was like the levees that I had built up, the dam to hold back the river of my unanswered questions had been crested. A torrential wave of doubts swept over me.

Can God be trusted?

Because even though the Bible says so, I was suddenly not convinced. Even though my entire life I have said so, I was no longer convinced. Even though I personally have lead a blessed and fortunate life, full of health and wholeness. Even my sorrows have been bearable, somehow, because of the support of a Godly and faithful family. But I would look around and think, “He doesn’t love me more. So where is He?”

People said things to me like “It’s a fallen world. Sin is a reality. There’s always heaven.” It all seemed very empty and useless. Very empty and useless when it is your baby that is dying. Fake platitudes to prop up the broken, but useless when you are the one that is broken.

Where is He? Why won’t He break through? Where is the miracle?

Sometimes I think it would almost be easier if I was someone that DIDN’T believe in healing, that DIDN’T believe in an active, loving, miracle-working Jesus. Because then I wouldn’t be so disappointed, so heartbroken, so devastated when HE DOESN’T. Not everyone that believes is healed. Not everyone who deserves a rescue in this life is rescued.

So I am left with this – Jesus CAN heal, restore, bring peace and justice….and He didn’t.

Part 2 to follow….

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  • Sarah

    I understand where you are coming from. During 3 years of living in the funeral home it was if I absorbed all of the grief that came through the door. It sent me reeling and knocked me off center. I’m still in recovery 6 months after moving out but suspect some of that grief will never leave me. Will look forward to reading your conclusions ………..Q.’
    4/30/2009 10:51 AM QMTJ (message) block delete reply Boy I completely understand. I think the hardest thing for me to accept is why do children have to suffer? I mean, I can accept it if grown men and women tear each other appart. That’s sin and it’s horrible. But I struggle with the suffering of the innocent.

    The Shack was a good book to help me with this. Really good. But I know I need to let it absorb into me more because again I confront this same issue and I’m left feeling unsatisfied.

    For instance, right now I’m reading a book called “The Great Influenza” on the flu outbreak of 1918. This thing ravaged the world and left many dead, damaged or homeless. Left orphans, parents with empty arms, spouses widows/widowers. It was a horrible, vicious thing. And I’m wondering “why didn’t God intervene? I mean, upwards of perhaps 100 MILLION dead? Why?”. I’m seeing a glimmer of God in this tragedy in that medicine advanced about 100 years within the space of about a year or less as a result of this. But still, did so many have to die for that to happen?

    The congitive answers about God’s holiness, sin being the cause of the suffering, free will, etc. make logical sense but emotionally it’s hard. I think it’s an affront to God to give ourselves and others pat answers about this kind of thing. God is Mystery who allows us to understand a part of who he is and how he operates. His people did not understand why (see David when his infant son died)..they cried out and no answer came. (Ecclesiastes).

    Anyway, I can relate. I’m looking forward to your next blog.
    4/30/2009 2:18 PM Venicestar (message) block delete reply

  • Sarah

    This is a topic I have been processing for a while, and these are just a few thoughts, not necessarily complete, just where I am right now in this.

    I no longer think sadness and pain, are exclusive and in a separate compartment from joy and faith and God being good. For me they all exist at the same time. That might sounds kind of like “duh”, but I think I used to think that one couldn’t be going on in the presence of the other. I couldn’t feel joy and pain simultaneously, God couldn’t be good while someone was grieving, and so on. I can’t explain at all how my view changed, but I now no longer think they can’t all be present at the same time. I have really cried over many of the same painful and sad stories you’ve made referrence to in your post. I have really appreciated Angie’s and Jennifer’s faith in their journeys, because they echo what I have learned. God is always always always good, God always heals, just not necessarily here on earth (there is a bigger picture He sees and we don’t), and God does not expect us not to feel the pain of our lives. He doesn’t expect us to turn off our emotions. The last month or more I have been thinking about how many times our mutual friend Sasha wrote words that were like bullets between my eyes! I can’t tell you how many times God used her to speak to me with exactly what I needed in that moment. I’ve been thinking in particular about an entry she wrote about praying for God to sustain us through our trials rather then just praying for healing. I don’t know if that one is still viewable at her blog, I’ve been meaning to look, because a reread would do me good!

    I also think that people in pain, people with wide gapping wounds, have opportunity to minister and bring glory to God on a whole other level. A lot of the blogs I find myself attracted to follow are of people who have been and are going through tough painful experiences. Crafting, cooking, dissecting the church and christianity, etc. are intresting once in a while, but the stories that hold me are those in the real pains of life. They are real, raw, and I feel like the pain rips away a facade and makes people more relate-able. Honestly, I was just about to stop reading Jennifer’s blog right before Stellan got sick. This experience has brought out things about her faith and in her writting that I can connect with.

    I guess too, there is a part of me that has, at least to some level, accepted that there is a lot of mystery to God that I just am not able to comprehend, and I don’t expect to understand it all any more.

    I am looking forward to hearing where you go with this.

    Do you read Suburban Turmoil? This reminds me of an entry she made about a month ago, and she had a wide range of people leave comments, it was a very interesting conversation.
    4/30/2009 6:01 PM Tasia007 (message) block delete reply Oh, one more thought. Bit of background … Jason has been helping the college Prez go through resumes for a faculty opening at the school. In the process of reading resumes, several of whom are PhDs, Jason found out that there were a couple of PhDs that applied for his position last year. In the process of the discussion he found out that what synched the job for him was as the Prez calls it our “crucible” experience. Our having been in ministry for nearly 12 years while rearing 2 children with autism is what drew him to come and meet us and visit us. I cried when I heard this This is Jason’s dream job, and it just boggles my mind that our suffering is what got him his dream. I’m still trying to process that.

  • Sarah

    Sarah, I’m in the same place. My brother and his wife (www.thesteiners.us) had struggled through six years of infertility and three miscarriages when she finally got pregnant for good. Then, last July, on a horrifying day, she lost the baby in stillbirth. The week before the baby died, we were in intense prayer, crying out to God for a miracle. In the end, as terrible as it sounds, it must have been God’s will. Maybe He didn’t “cause” the death, but He certainly didn’t save the baby either. My mom made a comment later that it’s almost as if we were attempting to “control” the situation by praying for the outcome we wanted instead of praying that God’s will be done. I just don’t get it. Nine months later, they have had more failed fertility treatments and are still childless. I just don’t see how God is glorified in this. And yet, unmarried teenage girls get pregnant and have babies all the time. It doesn’t make sense.
    4/30/2009 6:58 PM joyandryan (message) block delete reply A timely post ~ today my little preschooler that has been battling cancer came to school to visit. It was all I could do to hold in the tears and yell at God, “why?” His bald little head from chemo bearing scars from surgery and tubes, red burn type marks from radiation. His bigs eyes and the coloring of his skin and his little body just so shakey as he was hugging me so tight and telling me he would be at school on Tuesday…– so WRONG for a little 5 year old. SO WRONG!!! I struggle to understand as well…knowing full well that I may never…..and then our dear ill friend ~~ WHY?? And when will there be answers? When will those hurting hearts be restored? I heard John Maxwell say that, though “he doesn’t understand life and all it’s sorrows he knows that God is always good.”
    4/30/2009 9:16 PM newlifesong (message) block delete reply These are great questions. Like you, I went for years “believing” but not really trusting. As in, not *really* trusting, because my fertile imagination and the nightly news could come up with things that God definitely couldn’t redeem. 8 ) (rofl)

    I still don’t know exactly what changed my mind or won me over, but suddenly I realized that my perspective changed drastically. All I can think is that I saw who God was for the first time. Really saw. And it left me speechless.

    “Not everyone that believes is healed. Not everyone who deserves a rescue in this life is rescued.

    So I am left with this – Jesus CAN heal, restore, bring peace and justice….and He didn’t.”

    Without getting into who’s-the-god-of-this-world stuff, on the other side of these remarks is everything we don’t see or even stop to comprehend, how merciful and redemptive God’s ultimate ways are (many times results are not realized in our lifetime). And of course, who among us deserves a rescue? Or peace and justice? Not me, for sure…

  • Sarah

    5/1/2009 8:25 AM shegoespublic (message) block delete reply I’ve been thinking about your post for a day now and debating on whether to respond with my thoughts. However, I decided not to, because there is not enough space here for it. I could probably write at least half a book’s worth of pages on what I’ve learned on this subject. But even those answers I’ve received are not totally conclusive, because there are some things that God just leaves a mystery. I will say that I think every one of us deals with this question in our lives and more than once, but many, many times. Sometimes we have to accept that we are not going to get the answer we are looking for (because in asking this question aren’t we looking for a specific answer?) and that maybe God won’t answer at all until we reach Heaven. But then this is part of knowing God. Do we trust Him? Do we have faith? Because if we had all the answers we wouldn’t need faith would we?

    For me it comes to this: Can I trust Him? If I can, then I can trust everything He says/does, if I can’t then I can’t trust Him ever. And as Job I want to answer, “though He slays me, yet I will trust Him.”

    Darn. I just can’t keep it short. Well, it is much shorter than it could have been.
    5/1/2009 8:40 AM Brittaney delete reply I was thinking today, that this reminds me of Erwim McManus’ book The Barbarian Way. The part where he talk about John the Baptist being in prison and hearing all the stories of the miracles and healing, and Jesus sends someone to talk to him and to basically tell him not to lose faith, even though his wouldn’t be the path of freedom from prison and healing and miracle. That really struck me. Great book, I need a reread!
    5/1/2009 6:34 PM Tasia007 (message) block delete reply I think the question that God might ask us is “Why did you allow injustice, poverty and war?” We certainly have the tools and means to stop hunger, make water clean, clothe children, stop human trafficking. But we don’t.

    Childhood illness, cancer, sickness, mental illness-those are hard things to trust God with. I hope and pray that I would be able to say with Job “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.”
    5/2/2009 12:41 PM Laoshi (message) block delete reply

  • Sarah

    I've been coming to grips with the fact that God doesn't always answer they way I thought He should. Hmmm. Imagine that, He knows better than I. Just because I "name it and claim it", doesn't mean that He will do it just because I say so. God is so much bigger than me. He see's the whole picture from beginning to end.
    I've gotten over that idea that God would never cause or allow harm. It was just the old testament when He was mean right? In the New Testament, He had a personality change. Nope. I believe that the same God that said "I am the one causing well being and creating calamity; I am the Lord who does all things" Isaiah 45:5-7. This is the same God that will cause all things to work together for good to those who love God. Romans 8:28.

    Why would God cause or allow us to suffer?
    1. to expose & reveal hidden sin. Job 1:1 Job was blameless, but when the pressure came Job 45 says he was repenting for being wicked.
    2. teaches us to trust God. How in the world would we ever learn to trust if we don't have anything to trust Him for?
    3. so He can comfort us. 2 Cor 1:4:God comforts us in all our afflictions so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. :5 for just as the sufferings of Christ are in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ *So if we don't suffer, we won't be comforted and be able to comfort those in our lives.* I didn't say that, the bible did!

    Yeah, I totally stole that from our pastor. He's been talking on this very subject. I'd encourage you to listen to the last 3 or 4 messages on Recession. http://www.austinstone.org

    So when bad things happen to me, I really take a deep, hard look into what God is teaching me in the situation. Before, surely it was my fault because I did not pray enough, fast enough or because I told a l lie a few weeks earlier. I think it was kind of arrogant for me to think that I had so much power over anything that God wanted to do.
    5/12/2009 2:13 PM scgonzales (message) block delete reply