PAIN BLAME

When things don't go as I planned or think they should (like pain and suffering), I first look to be sure it is not something I set up myself.  Then I look around to see if there is someone else who caused it. If I still don't understand why it happened, I may resort to blaming God. Sorry about that, God.  I learned to do that once upon a time when I truly believed you were in control of all things and could have prevented my unhappiness.  Upon further review (as the football officials say), I see that you are not that vindictive or dictatorial. The Gospels show me a God in Jesus who is quick to move in to suffer with us, lift us up and nurture us toward wholeness. A chaplain friend of  mine, working in the Pentagon when disaster struck there on that horrible September morning, was sometimes asked where was God when that happened. On the scene immediately, he said he saw God was right there in the rescuers, the rubble and the pain.  Talk about a first responder!