Posted by Jo That was fun, to log on and see that you had responded so quickly to my post! Thanks! Interestingly enough, your first paragraph echoes a conversation I have been having over recent months with a dear friend of mine who is living, as she calls, her “end days”, suffering from cancer. She is older than I am and comparatively more conservative in her faith and “understanding” of God. Throughout her life, she has “known” a God, who, as you said “berates us for sin”. Recently she has been less peaceful, worrying that “she got it wrong”. It has made me smile when speaking to her as I have pointed out that she has nothing to worry about, given if she is “wrong”, it means God is indeed a loving and forgiving God, who will warmly welcome her home and if not, she has faithfully served (her) God and been “religious” in her worship and commitment. God will still say “Well done, good and faithful servant!” Thankfully, I believe our God is bigger than our understanding…..and can “cope” with whoever turns out to be “right”! Margaret, you certainly did have your share of trauma, in your teens, losing your parents. I can understand how you would/could “hold it against God”. There have been times in my own life that I have thought that God simply didn’t exist, or if He/She did, God was certainly “mean”…how could God let such things happen? Or I have prayed really hard for things/people and the result wasn’t what I wanted…. I know I am not alone in this experience, as Psalm 22 says “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” then Jesus quotes this same Psalm on the cross “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” (Mark 15) and I figure, WOW, if others have felt this way throughout history and even Jesus himself experiences this sense of being left alone, I’m in good company!!! It most certainly must be “ok” to ask this question…which you are in fact doing, when you sit in the Church! I have read as much as possible and discussed this topic with quite a few people and I have to say that I couldn’t honestly give an answer that I was 100% sure of, but I am content to live with the question! The REAL challenge comes in our response to these situations where we can’t see God’s hand in things… I have learnt to change the question to reflect more on myself (and those answers I can find.) The very fact that your image would now change to a picture of good friends and that you acknowledge you had “loving people” to help you through is a wonderful “clue” that you are heading down the right track! Have you managed to speak to anyone yet at your local Church that you visit? Thanks for sharing with me Margaret, Jo
on November 10, 2005, 3:57 pm, in reply to "Re: Being a Disciple and an Educator"
Dear Margaret,
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