Change the question

It’s hard to let go of this idea of God as almighty, all powerful, in control of all things. But we must. Letting go of it doesn’t give us any more answers. What it does do, however, is give us more productive questions.

If God isn’t going to be all powerful where suffering is concerned, then what? This certainly seems to be the case, so let’s go walking in this direction. God didn’t stop our suffering, and God won’t stop future suffering. Then, what does God do? What is God’s purpose in this suffering-filled world? To be fair, let’s throw ourselves into this — what is our purpose? Maybe this isn’t a God-only production; maybe it’s a God-and-us drama. Instead of bombarding God with “Where are You? What are You doing? Why did You allow this? Maybe we’d fare better, get more enlightenment from “Where are we? What are we doing? Why are we allowing this?”

Of course, as kids, we had little agency to help ourselves. What we have now, we didn’t have then, and that’s the ability to begin to see how God was moving within us during our suffering. Once we have this new vision intact, we might think about helping to make it so commonplace that kids in our time begin to look for God in this way, too.

But, for now, we must grow this vision.

Reflection

What happens within when you change the question — where were You, God? — to “where were we, God?”

Prayer

O God, my focus just on You put You way out there. I saw You as far from me, choosing really to be away from me and my suffering. But, with this question — “where were we?”— I find myself quite un-alone in my suffering, accompanied by You, and I am suddenly much stronger.