I know Jesus wants the best for me and for all the people in the world.
I know God has a plan and will work everything out for his glory.
I know God is in control and everything happens for a reason.
But sometimes I look at Jesus and say, "What the heck Jesus? I know you have a reason, but what the heck?"
1.) Why does the hair on one side of my face grow down and the hair on the other side of my face grow sideways?
2.) What the heck is a platypus and why is it here?
3.) Why did you spit in that guy's eyes? And why didn't your first prayer heal him? Did you mess up? Or could you just not do it? Or just, why?
4.) Why is my mom still sick?
4.1.) Why'd she get sick at all?
5.) Why can only humans, the feet of mice and nine-banded armadillos carry leprosy?
Why Rwanda?
What were you thinking? Where were you? Why didn't you make it STOP?
Why, Jesus?
Just... why?
Why the fuck is everyone hungry and sick and poor, when you said you cared about us more than the sparrows.
The sparrows are happy.
6.) Now what the fuck about us?
You make so much sense sometimes, Galen. Honestly. And the whole sparrow thing...
ReplyDeleteMaybe God's caring about us and for us doesn't mean that there will always be beautiful days with rainbows and bunnies. Maybe it just means that we have more to look forward to than the sparrows. At least we know that when we have pain, there's eventually going to be a cessation. I think that's what was meant by the whole sparrow thing.
When it's hard to understand, don't try. Just be.
the scholarly part of me wants to point by point answer your questions, at least as well as I can. but for some reason, I don't really think that will make you feel better, or make me feel better about my little brother's diabetes, or make any of us feel better when a hopeless little boy kills his grandparents - seven others - and himself. Maybe the better question is not "why did this happen?" - for this question can be logically addressed with abstract concepts such as free will, human choice, and the tragic reality of a fallen world - but rather we could ask, "God, why does it hurt like this?" For that question, there is no answer that can satisfy the anguished cry of broken hearts. There is only the comfort of a savior whose heart and body were broken as well.
ReplyDeleteI wrote about sparrows recently too.....they're refreshing. You are an artist.
ReplyDelete