I clicked on a blog post the other day, never realizing what an impact it would have on me. As I read through the blog and hung on every word, I realized a few things about myself. Things I am sure the author was not even considering when she wrote this post...but that affected me in my inner most depths.
I have been asked by friends, acquaintances, and even at times - my own children.
How can God allow such suffering in the world? How can he look at the innocent children, and not do something? How can he sit back in his heavenly realms and watch catastrophe strike the earth and thousands upon thousands affected by senseless acts of violence, natures fury, and heartless individuals? Some even go so far as to say...If there really is a God, a God who can allow such suffering to go on - so many innocent children suffer at the hands of tyrants...I don't want to know him.
Until this blog post - these questions could only be answered one way by me...I would say...
We do not know the whole picture, only God does. There is suffering in the world because there is sin, there are horrible people who choose to do unspeakable things because they have the ability to do that through free will. God gave us the beauty that is free will, and some choose to use it for evil. And, this earth is not our home, but merely a stopping place....
All well and good....then I read this blog post. And, I realized something new.
The blog I am talking about is A Holy Experience by Ann Voskamp. And, the post was 'The 1 Thing You Really Have to Know About Your Family'. This post shook my very core.
I was reading along fine...then came to this paragraph...
I’m angry that I’ve seen and I’m ashamed that I am angry and I’m angry that I’ve seen and now I am responsible. More than respons-able – we’re response-bound.Once we have seen the poor, we are responsible — we will make a response. As long as your heart is beating, there’s no such thing as unresponsive. We all look into the face of the poor and it’s either Yes, I will help. Or no, I won’t.
What honest words.... admitting you are angry because you saw something, now knowing you have to act on that. You simply can't say.... "I had no idea it was that bad", or "I didn't know what was going on oer there", you now know.
That started my decent into the rabbit hole that day. I realized that my answer to the questions about God and why he allows suffering, and how he can just sit by an watch it...was...well...an easy answer. I was saying...I don't know...No one knows God....We just sit here in our comfortable houses, drinking our fancy coffees, watching our latest guilty pleasure on high definition TV's, pinning pretty little things on Pinterest, planning our next vacation or girls night out...leaving that question up in the air like a balloon slowly losing its helium. The elephant in the room, we dare not speak of...the cop out that will allow us to sleep at night.
I realized the answer to that question is not "I don't know".
When someone asks "How could a loving God create a world full of poverty and sadness and suffering and not do anything about it?"
The answer is...He did…He created you and me ….and I don’t know why we are not doing anything about it…
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