It has long been argued that the existence of evil in this
world is evidence that God does not exist because if God existed then
evil would not because, after all, God (by definition) is all powerful
and all knowing. If He is all knowing, then He would know that bad was
about to happen and stop it. If He does not, then it means He's
incapable and therefore not all powerful. But what if that's not it?
What if bad things happen because God chooses to let them? Does that make Him evil or bad? Before you answer, consider this....
Picture,
if you will, that God is a doting parent...no different than any other
loving, concerned parent. Our thoughts are the diary laying closed on
the nightstand. He could know everything in the depths of our hearts,
all He has to do is open the book and read. But if He did, our trust in
Him would forever be destroyed. And if He acted on the knowledge
contained within, forced us to bend our wills until they were His then
what point would it serve? We would be no better than puppets or slaves.
No, God sees the journal laying there on the table, lays a loving hand
on top of it, bows His head and quietly says, "I have faith in you to do
the right thing".
God has the ability to be all knowing, He just chooses not to be so that we have a choice. God wants us to love Him because we want
to, not because He told us to. That choice comes with a price. And God
sacrifices much, because not only is He choosing to give up His
all-knowing ability, but He's also taking the blame for a lot of things
that could have been prevented if He was all knowing. So, the next time
somebody wrongs you or hurts you, don't blame God. Thank God for the
life lesson. Thank God it wasn't worse. Thank God for the good times and
for the support during the bad. But don't blame Him for being a loving
parent. Blame the person who wronged you for breaking God's faith in
them and know that God will make it up to you. And when times are
difficult or you're tempted to do somebody wrong, remember that God has
faith in you to be strong and do the right thing.
Showing posts with label free will. Show all posts
Showing posts with label free will. Show all posts
Monday, April 30, 2012
Saturday, November 20, 2010
The Prodigal Daughter
The Parable of the Prodigal Son has always been one of my favorite biblical parables, possibly because it's one I can easily relate to. Many people, though, I think take the wrong lesson from the parable, or they simply don't understand it. My theory on this is very similar to the story of the threstrals in Harry Potter. Let us digress for a moment.......
In the wizarding world of Harry Potter, threstrals are a type of winged horse that are only visible to people who have seen death. Similarly, I think the only people who truly understand the Parable of the Prodigal Son are people who have turned away from God's Grace and later come back to it.
Now, getting back to the Prodigal Son.....
For anyone who has not read the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament, the Parable of the Prodigal Son is the final parable in a trilogy that talks about loss and redemption, with the previous two parables being the Parable of the Lost Sheep and the Parable of the Lost Coin.
The Parable of the Prodigal Son talks about a young man who asks his father for his inheritance early, so that he may travel the world. The father gives in and gives the son his share of the father's inheritance and the son departs his father's house. The father has one other son who stays behind to continue helping his father with the duties of the farm and household. As the departed son travels the world, he squanders the money on prostitutes, wine, and all sorts of frivolities until finally he finds himself with no money left. He ends up having to take a job as a pig herder, which is the lowest of lows. As he minds the pigs he realizes that he is jealous of them for the riches they have, even as pigs, that he does not - such as food and shelter. He develops a plan to go back to his father, tell his father that his son is no longer worthy to be called his son, and beg for a place as one of the servants because even as a servant in his father's house he would have more than he has now. The son makes his way back home and the father sees him coming up the way and runs to him, embraces him, and rejoices that he has returned. The father orders a fattened calf to be slaughtered and a feast held in celebration of the joyous occasion of his son's return. Now, while all of this is going on, the son who had stayed behind with the father grows angry. He never left his father, he stayed to do his father's bidding, even while his brother went out and partied all of his inheritance away. The father tells the son who stayed that he should not be angry but rejoice, for his brother has returned from the dead.
This parable has many lessons for those that really pay attention, and the more subtle lessons come from the stories of the two sons. There is more here than a father who is relieved to have his child home safe and sound, and there's more here than a son who is jealous that his brother got to travel and party on their dad's dime and then gets welcomed back home like a celebrity. No, there is so much more.
The story of the son who left is easy to decipher. The son took his father for granted, wanted to try to make it on his own in the world, took his share of his inheritance (not bothering to wait until his father had died), and set out to enjoy the world. It didn't take him long to realize that he couldn't survive on his own. He became lower than the lowest animal and had nothing to sustain him. He missed his father's love, his warm house, and the nourishment his father provided him. He decides to go home and offer to become a lowly servant just to be able to get back a small portion of what he had before. The father welcomes his son back with open arms, grateful that the son would rather be a servant with him than alone in the world.
The story of the son who stayed is a little more difficult. This son stayed behind, got no celebration or thanks, but continued his duties faithfully, even up to the point when his brother returned and got a hero's welcome. Why did his father welcome his brother back so quickly and so warmly? Had he not been the one who stayed while his brother spent their father's money on wine and women? Truth is, he didn't stay because he loved his father any more than his brother did. He stayed because it was what was expected of him. So, the son who stayed did so out of duty, not out of love.
This is where the parable gets truly dynamic and mind-boggling to those who have never been on the outside looking in at God's good graces. God does not want us to love Him because we're supposed to....He wants us to love Him because we want to. It's the whole reason behind free will. God gave us free-thinking minds, without which we would be nothing more than puppets. No, He gave us a choice - a choice between good and evil, between loving Him or not. The Parable of the Prodigal Son is God telling us that He wants us to appreciate Him for who He is and what He does for us, not simply because our parents or our church tells us we should. The wonderful thing is, and this is what the parable is all about, God forgives us if we stray. If we tell our Heavenly Father that we would rather give it a go on our own and sample the riches of the world without Him, He will be there waiting for us when we epically fail and come home begging just to be let in as a lowly servant, much less one of His children. The parable is about choosing to love Him, and understanding that if we mess up along the way He will be there to welcome us back no matter what.
As for me personally, I will admit that I am a prodigal daughter. I have left my Father's house before. I have tried life on my own, and I'll tell you a little secret.....there's no place like home. And if you're wandering in the cold, come home. Father is waiting with open arms to greet you.
In the wizarding world of Harry Potter, threstrals are a type of winged horse that are only visible to people who have seen death. Similarly, I think the only people who truly understand the Parable of the Prodigal Son are people who have turned away from God's Grace and later come back to it.
Now, getting back to the Prodigal Son.....
For anyone who has not read the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament, the Parable of the Prodigal Son is the final parable in a trilogy that talks about loss and redemption, with the previous two parables being the Parable of the Lost Sheep and the Parable of the Lost Coin.
The Parable of the Prodigal Son talks about a young man who asks his father for his inheritance early, so that he may travel the world. The father gives in and gives the son his share of the father's inheritance and the son departs his father's house. The father has one other son who stays behind to continue helping his father with the duties of the farm and household. As the departed son travels the world, he squanders the money on prostitutes, wine, and all sorts of frivolities until finally he finds himself with no money left. He ends up having to take a job as a pig herder, which is the lowest of lows. As he minds the pigs he realizes that he is jealous of them for the riches they have, even as pigs, that he does not - such as food and shelter. He develops a plan to go back to his father, tell his father that his son is no longer worthy to be called his son, and beg for a place as one of the servants because even as a servant in his father's house he would have more than he has now. The son makes his way back home and the father sees him coming up the way and runs to him, embraces him, and rejoices that he has returned. The father orders a fattened calf to be slaughtered and a feast held in celebration of the joyous occasion of his son's return. Now, while all of this is going on, the son who had stayed behind with the father grows angry. He never left his father, he stayed to do his father's bidding, even while his brother went out and partied all of his inheritance away. The father tells the son who stayed that he should not be angry but rejoice, for his brother has returned from the dead.
This parable has many lessons for those that really pay attention, and the more subtle lessons come from the stories of the two sons. There is more here than a father who is relieved to have his child home safe and sound, and there's more here than a son who is jealous that his brother got to travel and party on their dad's dime and then gets welcomed back home like a celebrity. No, there is so much more.
The story of the son who left is easy to decipher. The son took his father for granted, wanted to try to make it on his own in the world, took his share of his inheritance (not bothering to wait until his father had died), and set out to enjoy the world. It didn't take him long to realize that he couldn't survive on his own. He became lower than the lowest animal and had nothing to sustain him. He missed his father's love, his warm house, and the nourishment his father provided him. He decides to go home and offer to become a lowly servant just to be able to get back a small portion of what he had before. The father welcomes his son back with open arms, grateful that the son would rather be a servant with him than alone in the world.
The story of the son who stayed is a little more difficult. This son stayed behind, got no celebration or thanks, but continued his duties faithfully, even up to the point when his brother returned and got a hero's welcome. Why did his father welcome his brother back so quickly and so warmly? Had he not been the one who stayed while his brother spent their father's money on wine and women? Truth is, he didn't stay because he loved his father any more than his brother did. He stayed because it was what was expected of him. So, the son who stayed did so out of duty, not out of love.
This is where the parable gets truly dynamic and mind-boggling to those who have never been on the outside looking in at God's good graces. God does not want us to love Him because we're supposed to....He wants us to love Him because we want to. It's the whole reason behind free will. God gave us free-thinking minds, without which we would be nothing more than puppets. No, He gave us a choice - a choice between good and evil, between loving Him or not. The Parable of the Prodigal Son is God telling us that He wants us to appreciate Him for who He is and what He does for us, not simply because our parents or our church tells us we should. The wonderful thing is, and this is what the parable is all about, God forgives us if we stray. If we tell our Heavenly Father that we would rather give it a go on our own and sample the riches of the world without Him, He will be there waiting for us when we epically fail and come home begging just to be let in as a lowly servant, much less one of His children. The parable is about choosing to love Him, and understanding that if we mess up along the way He will be there to welcome us back no matter what.
As for me personally, I will admit that I am a prodigal daughter. I have left my Father's house before. I have tried life on my own, and I'll tell you a little secret.....there's no place like home. And if you're wandering in the cold, come home. Father is waiting with open arms to greet you.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Giving credit where credit is due
Having good luck is a claim made by those who are unable or unwilling to recognize the miracles of God's good graces.
I've always thought it funny how quickly people will give credit to luck when something good happens but blame God when something bad happens. When someone has had something positive happen in their lives, why is it so difficult to give credit where credit is due? I've often thought to myself "maybe if you would recognize your good luck as what it truly is - a blessing from God - then maybe you would have less to blame Him for". Everything good that happens in our lives is a gift from God, not some mere happenstance of luck. Why is it so difficult for us to accept that? Perhaps it's because then we would feel beholden to Him. Maybe we would feel indebted for our good fortunes, compared to chalking it up to luck and the mysterious forces of the universe. Why is taking a moment to say "thank you, Lord, for everything that you've given me" so difficult to do?
And the blame game....people credit good things to luck but blame God when things don't go their way. I wouldn't be surprised if the angels above have ~ lovingly ~ nicknamed the human race as "God's ungrateful spoiled brats". Bad things happen because someone, somewhere, executed their right to free will in a bad way. It sucks, but those were the consequences that came when God gave us minds of our own so that we could be independent souls instead of pre-programmed robots. What many people fail to realize is that GOD ALWAYS MAKES IT RIGHT! Yes, crappy things happen, but God will make it up to you. And, who knows, He may have orchestrated it all along so that you could have something better.
The point of this tirade is simple....when something bad happens in your life do not immediately blame God for it. Be thankful to Him that it wasn't worse and try to see the good that might come from it. Be patient - sometimes the good might take a little while to happen or to be realized, but it is there. And when good things happen in your life, take a moment to thank God for it. Thank Him for waking up that morning, for being able to do the things you can do, for having the family and friends that you have, and for the smallest pleasures in life - because He gave that all to you. He gave you the world, the universe, and the universes beyond....He gave you eternity, and all He asked for in return was your love and praise. Thank Him...for the good and the bad, for the big and the small. It only takes a moment to give credit where credit is due.
I've always thought it funny how quickly people will give credit to luck when something good happens but blame God when something bad happens. When someone has had something positive happen in their lives, why is it so difficult to give credit where credit is due? I've often thought to myself "maybe if you would recognize your good luck as what it truly is - a blessing from God - then maybe you would have less to blame Him for". Everything good that happens in our lives is a gift from God, not some mere happenstance of luck. Why is it so difficult for us to accept that? Perhaps it's because then we would feel beholden to Him. Maybe we would feel indebted for our good fortunes, compared to chalking it up to luck and the mysterious forces of the universe. Why is taking a moment to say "thank you, Lord, for everything that you've given me" so difficult to do?
And the blame game....people credit good things to luck but blame God when things don't go their way. I wouldn't be surprised if the angels above have ~ lovingly ~ nicknamed the human race as "God's ungrateful spoiled brats". Bad things happen because someone, somewhere, executed their right to free will in a bad way. It sucks, but those were the consequences that came when God gave us minds of our own so that we could be independent souls instead of pre-programmed robots. What many people fail to realize is that GOD ALWAYS MAKES IT RIGHT! Yes, crappy things happen, but God will make it up to you. And, who knows, He may have orchestrated it all along so that you could have something better.
The point of this tirade is simple....when something bad happens in your life do not immediately blame God for it. Be thankful to Him that it wasn't worse and try to see the good that might come from it. Be patient - sometimes the good might take a little while to happen or to be realized, but it is there. And when good things happen in your life, take a moment to thank God for it. Thank Him for waking up that morning, for being able to do the things you can do, for having the family and friends that you have, and for the smallest pleasures in life - because He gave that all to you. He gave you the world, the universe, and the universes beyond....He gave you eternity, and all He asked for in return was your love and praise. Thank Him...for the good and the bad, for the big and the small. It only takes a moment to give credit where credit is due.
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