God Bless Us Every One?

I read an article entitled Lunch on God's Dime on the UPI Religion & Spirituality Forum this morning written by one of my favorite bloggers, Meg@CelebrateVida. She wrote about her discomfort with the idea that God would bless some while "refusing" to bless others. Does he really do that? And what does it mean mean if he removes those blessings from our lives? Please read the article; it will make you think.

I've had similar questions. I heard a debate between some Christians and non-Christians, and of course the question of suffering was raised: "How could a just, loving God allow the suffering that exists in the world today?" The thing that surprised me is that the Christians couldn't answer the question with anything substantial. I began praying that God would help me understand. I read Philip Yancey's Where is God When it Hurts? and some other books, and they helped me see that suffering exists because we live in a fallen world. But that wasn't enough for me (maybe it should be, but it's not). I knew that God could change things, so why doesn't he?

I even questioned Romans 8:28: if "in all things God works for the good of those who love him," does that mean that when things don't work out, it's a sign that I don't truly love God? Does that mean that God exploits people's suffering? Finally, I've concluded that if Romans 8:28 is true (and I know it is), then he must expect us to use suffering as an opportunity to love one another fully.

Last year, when my father-in-law died after a long, painful fight with cancer, I asked even more questions: When I thank God for my health, am I suggesting that somehow God didn't find my father-in-law worthy of good health? Or that I am somehow more worthy? Or that God didn't care? I know that he wasn't paying the price for some sin: that would suggest a punitive, uncaring God when I know that God is forgiving and loving.

But could our society be paying a "price" for our collective decisions? Could we be losing our loved ones because, as a society, we have chosen to pour our focus, our money, our time, our energy on material (the American Dream) and trivial things (sports, movies, etc.) rather than on loving one another? If we, as a society, had focused our energy and money on caring for each other, might we have found a cure for cancer and AIDS, an answer to malnutrition, by now?

What if Christians had done that? What if Christ's churches had focused our spiritual and intellectual power on caring for the world instead of on attacking non-Christians and each other? Would we have changed the world for Jesus? Would we have truly been the light of the world?

Matthew 5:14-16: You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

John 17:20-23: I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you...May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.