Reflections on Life and Spirituality 101

Tragedy and the folly of just asking 'why'
In the face of tragedies and devastations like the recent tsunami and earthquakes, we human beings often ask the wrong questions of God. When we are suffering or in pain, we ask "why God?", which is an understandable question. Which of us has not asked this question at one stage of life or another when we go through difficulties? However, this is a question that does not solve problems, instead only looks backward to find understanding and implicitly has a tendency to aportion blame.



Asking the right question
Instead, the more important question is "what now?", which is forward looking and one which forces us to deal with a problem rather than concern ourselves with analysis and blame. Imagine, if a person who has cancer or a terminal disease continues to ask the former question rather than moving on to the latter, he/she would never begin to deal with the implications of the disease.

The Asian Tsunami / earthquakes and the tough spiritual questions
In the recent tsunami / earthquake, if you consider your own reaction from a spiritual standpoint, there are probably a few camps for which you may fall (or are deciding to fall into):

a) God is angry and punishing the wicked or disobedient
These claim that the disaster, however caused, was ultimately the act of an angry god out to punish evildoers. In other words, in order to deal with sinners in Thailand, this divinity drowned children in Sri Lanka. Some who smugly claim to speak for that monster even call themselves Christians. In their case, there is a theological category for what they say: it's called blasphemy (e.g. www.religionnewsblog.com/9862).

b) God is evil, or God does not exist, it is a random act of nature
The third group claims that the deaths of so many people is proof there is no God. They challenge people who believe in God to consider what we really think.

But often, when someone says "I don't believe in god", they really mean, "I don't believe in a god that fits into the way I want god to be". People can chose to see (or not see) what they want to see (or not see). And that includes both the religious, the nots and the people in between.

c) Man has caused this
One group claims the disaster was not natural, but was caused by the United States, by India, by reverberations of bombs in Iraq, by aliens or by some other human or nonhuman force. Needless to say, this group cannot present anything resembling credible evidence for their claims.

d) Something is happening but I am not sure how to make sense of it all
This one is for you if you fall in this camp. If one reads the Bible properly, bad things do happen to good people, and good things do happen to the bad (which is not how we like to reason generally in our normal cause/effect mode of thinking). Ultimately, it is not what happens to us that matter, but how we respond showing God's glory in the midst of adverse situations that matters more.

What did Jesus say?
Jesus in Luke 21:5-36 talks about disasters and suffering in the context of end times (i.e. the period of time leading up to when God will eventually judge the world) - read for yourselves Luke 21, I will only summarize here. His disciples 2000 years ago asked him: "When will these things be? And what sign will there be when these things are about to take place?"

Jesus responds, [and His words are especially pertinent in recent times, and reads like most of recent years' news combined, despite the fact He said it two thousand centuries ago, so please read]

"Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and, 'The time has drawn near.' Therefore do not go after them. But when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately." Then He said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven."

"And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken."

"Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near. So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near."

What now?
We have to be wise to ask the same questions: WHAT NOW? - "If God has appointed an end time when He will bring judgement, justice and final redemption to the world, when will this be? And what will happen in order to show that the time has come for it to take place?".

What Jesus is saying is read the signs and be wise in how you live. Live according to how God wants us to live, not how we want to live.

If you don't know where to begin or never considered yourself "religious" (what does that really mean anyway?), start searching. Searching will reveal many religions, but not necessarily one truth. Ask, seek and only then you will find - Searching for God.

Labels: Hardship / Struggles / Pain, Prophecy, Tragedy / Death