Most of the time life just doesn’t seem fair. The bad guys seem to win, ocean waves crash over and consume anything and everything in their path over time, and “junk” happens to everyone regardless of how they behave. Why can’t the people who treat each other well, do the good stuff, and stand for the right values “win”? If God, or the gods, is/are in charge, then where is the fairness in it all?
As I see the interactions between people and nature with people I find that the span of involvement and engagement touches everything I can see. I can walk on the beach dunes and find the forces of nature at work. I can feel the sting of flying sand providing a natural facial scrub and know things are at odds. I sit and watch a 75 ton ship drift with the current faster than I could outrun her. The scorching sun and numbing fog takes on all comers and nobody wins except the elements!
At times the overwhelming sense of it all takes away whatever hope I find myself holding onto. I wonder if life is merely a matter a chance of course. Do we ever “make” it? I am not worried about the economic or power things of life; I wonder about the peace, sense of belonging, and acceptance
In my wonder I find myself going back to the God I know and love. I find a God who passionately loves you and me without reservation. I experience a sense of belonging as I look at reality God’s way – I know I am one of the beloved. In the process I find that I am not alone – you are in the mix, others we care about, and even those we don’t! God is inclusive and nurturing even as those who are self-centric attack Good at every opportunity. In this space I find myself standing tall with John and telling to all who would listen, “Hallelujah! The salvation and glory and power are God’s—his judgments true, his judgments just.” (Revelation 19.2)
