I’m re-reading Christopher Wright’s book, The God I Don’t Understand.

It’s a deep book about evil, suffering, and other complex subjects.

Wright explains, “we cannot and must not go on to assume or affirm is that the actual people who suffer the effects of natural events like earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, hurricanes, floods, and so on … are worse sinners, and therefore stand more under God’s judgment, than those who are fortunate enough to live somewhere else than where the disaster struck.

More Unintended Consequences

Clearly the consequences of our actions is not always foreseeable:
– Sometimes harmless pranks go horribly wrong
– Oversights have lead to industrial accidents
– Forgotten oil plugs destroy car engines

On a more personal level, sometimes…
– Friendly banter is misunderstood as flirting
– Couples breakup when they want nothing but
– Partyers having fun get alcohol poisoning
– People try meth and become addicts
– Teens have sex and become unintended parents
– Parents try to build a relationship with their kids and it seems to backfire

Even More Unintended Consequences

Unintended Consequences

The German weekly Der Spiegel has a report about the unintended consequences of child labor laws in one Pakistani city known for producing soccer balls.

Apparently children were frequently employed in the factories, until child labor “advocates” in the West forced companies like Nike and Adidas to ensure that their suppliers weren’t employing children. But what happened to the kids? Surely after they were freed from their toiling in the factories they went to school and now have well-paying office jobs, right?

People do what they do because somehow, some way, their hopelessness craves for hope.

Someone bombed the Boston Marathon Monday. Someone, somehow found some level of hope in creating horror for someone else.

That grain of truth is what they grasp onto and that allows them to justify their choices.

“None of us,” wrote Christopher Wright, ” needs to be scratched very deep to uncover the darker depths of our worst desires and the evil action any of us is capable of, if pushed.” Moreover, while we are not the overt cause of others’ suffering we cannot escape it’s consequences. 1

As he hung on the cross Jesus Christ quoted Psalm 22: Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

God asked God, “Where are you God?”

As we watch the news, view the video footage, listen to the radio hosts rant, discuss the events with others and ask our questions of God, it’s important to remember we are NOT alone. Pain and painful events make us ask the hard questions when life goes very, very wrong.

A warning: This post may contain hard things to read

Today’s tragic events in Boston bring many questions to my mind.
– Who’s hurt?
– Who’s helping?
– Who’s responsible?
– Who’s gonna capture the guilty?

And, inevitably, we cry out: Where is God?

When I was a child I was heartbroken watching the Roots mini-series on TV.

I thought, “I sure am glad that the slave days are over.”

As an adult I found out just how wrong I was.

You can find more information about “end it movement” here and the International Justice Mission.

I had a dream Sunday night.  I couldn’t wait to tell you about it, but I did.

I was riding on a flat bottom rail car through an unnamed city.  

Our flatbed train was kind of like a ten-foot wide airport moving walkway. We were traveling in an open flatbed rail car with no safety features at all. It seemed normal. 1

I traveled with my son Josh, and a third person who was a combination of my wife Amy and daughter Shannon.  Since they are so close, it didn’t seem weird at all.  

I didn’t start playing chess until I was in my thirties.  I’m not very good, but I do enjoy playing. 

Well, I enjoy playing people  have a chance to win against.  While I love my friends Eric Swendsrud and Jeff Prentiss I’m intimidated playing them in chess.

Jeff and Eric patiently play while I try to outwit them.  Masterfully they wait until just the right time to turn things in their favor; every time.

I’ve never beaten them.

Some people suggest that God seems to play an unbeatable divine chess game with us.

I can be focused, self-centered, myopic and ignorant.

I can live contentedly for short periods of time “in my own little world.”

I’m learning that it’s important to look beyond myself and embrace reality.

Embrace My Own Reality

I’m learning not to do stupid things.

I knew I was supposed to do good things, but I didn’t really think about why I should.

Years ago in my Bible I read “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.” 1