“Almighty God” just doesn’t work

We’re here under the Juniper because we want to come out of this with some understanding of how a God who has control of everything failed to keep us safe. We look around and we see millions upon millions of people who are not safe either. We are close to concluding this idea of God as all powerful is for the birds. We are close to concluding maybe this whole idea of God needs to be thrown away.

Something needs to be thrown away, but it isn’t God. It’s the image of God we’ve taken on. We tend to imagine God as this almighty king who actually dictates every detail of our lives. If something bad happens, we’re taught to look at our own sin. When good happens, we’re taught to thank God. But, what about when others’ sins rain down on us? What about when those sins cause untold suffering? What about those of us who carry the effects of what other people did?

This almighty God archetype just doesn’t work. I’ve found two images that do. They don’t answer everything, but they’ve given me enough peace and enough wisdom to be able to trust in what I still don’t understand.

God is Parent. My own parenthood has taught me well — doing something for an older child does nothing to help that child learn to do for themselves. So, we back up; we advise; we try to stay close, but we know we must only guide for true individuation and autonomy doesn’t come about unless a person tries and fails and tries again.

Second, Jesus Christ. If some want to teach He came to die because of my sins so I could come to heaven, okay, but I do think that language is off-putting until it can be understood in its proper light, far into a relationship with Him. What we need to know now is this: Jesus Christ will see us through suffering. Jesus Christ will walk with us through it, endure it with us, and gift us with a way of seeing, of being that transcends trauma and makes us more whole than we ever could have been, even without the abuse.

These two images I am still finding to be quite potent.

Reflection:

How does the image of God as Parent, the ideal parent, the parent we would most want, strike you?

What does Jesus Christ — including the cross and resurrection — have to say to your suffering?

Prayer

Dear God, my questions, my accusations are still swirling. I don’t have to just sit here under the Juniper. The Juniper is very big; I can walk, even run under it. But, let me remain under it as I try to be open to You, to us — You and me — and how we were together as I suffered. As a parent, You hurt for me, yes? And, You were there for me, too.

Jesus Christ, I see You both still on the cross and just outside the tomb after You rose. What does this have to say to me now? How can this speak to my trauma now, to my suffering then? What difference does this make?