Affirmation 9 holds that "loving ourselves includes ... basing our lives on the faith that, in Christ, all things are made new, and that we, and all people, are loved beyond our wildest imagination – for eternity."I suppose that means, "God is good, all the time ... for all time." Pretty basic -- until we actually try living as if it were true, or until we raise questions of theodicy (the problem of evil, as suggested by the picture.)
Both challenges are fundamental. As Bonhoeffer observed, the knowledge that God loves my worst enemy as much as God loves me must challenge the way I view the enemy. At the same time, the knowledge of what the worst in us can result in -- pain, suffering, injustice, war -- challenges our understanding of the goodness of God.
So, how do we trust this affirmation, and how do we live out of it?
1 comment:
Still trying to figure how I exactly define God, Religion, Faith, etc., but I think the way I've come to terms with it is to figure that "God" is sad/devastated by the shit that happens, but that humans have free will & it's not "God's" fault, it was the human's choice... Do I wish there were some Divine Intervention of some sort? Well, sure, I especially felt that as a child, but I just don't think that's how it works... It is what it is... Sometimes there's hurt & crap beyond all imagination that happens to you, but you either move on & thrive or you feel sorry for yourself & quit... Please understand, this is not to say that I've been able to totally move on & forgive the perpetrator (hopefully that may still come someday), but I don't dwell on it anymore & I think it's because of what I wrote above. I also know that I am shown so much love from so many friends, family & co-workers & that outweighs the hurt... It's still hard to grasp that "God" would love the "enemy" just as much, but I'm trying to believe it
Post a Comment