This question popped up recently during a conversation with one of my sons.
It actually popped up when he was talking about how one of his classmates each time they were working on an investigation would say, “With God’s help” at the beginning of each lab session. Even though he kept his thoughts to himself, he really didn’t agree with her. He thought, “Do you really think God cares about this?”.
Well, immediately he landed the question, I gave him the “I’m going to have to knock some sense into you right now” look.
My immediate reaction was, “Whoa, what’s gotta into you today?”
He said, “Stop Mom, what I’m trying to tell you is that there is so much going on in the world that my investigation isn’t God’s priority right now, we’ll just have to figure it out on our own.”
He went on to tell me that everything in our world is about balance. He believed in a Superior Being that guided us through life, but it wasn’t really about us as individuals.
His words stayed on the back of my head for some weeks.
In developed countries like ours, most of the things we tend to worry about are basically stupidities.
It’s not a secret that I’m one of the Frozen Chosen and we’ve made the news lately because our denomination is open not only to non-celibate homosexuals being ordained, but also to same sex marriages.
Well, for some that makes us the chosen from hell kind of Christians.
Well, if you think about Jesus and what and who He preached to, it’s not that bad. He taught us through example to love the outcasts and those who have no worth to society.
There is a saying in Spanish that goes, “Lo menosprecian” meaning people who think others are worthless because of how they’ve acted in the past. Wow! Are we full of it, or what?
People aren’t perfect and that’s part of our humanity, when the time comes we’ll know if we were right or way wrong. However, the only one that will set our record straight will be God.
Moving on to our main discussion, which is,
“If God really cares about the menial stuff we worry so much about?”
My answer would probably be, that he cares about us. The rest He tends to rely on our practicality and good judgment to deal with the rest.
In a world where famine is basically the major problem that leads to major issues. Professor Michael Chossudovsky perfectly outlines the situation when he writes,
“The New World Order feeds on human poverty and the destruction of the natural environment. It generates social apartheid, encourages racism and ethnic strife, undermines the rights of women and often precipitates confrontations between nationalities.”
There is much more where this came from and we can go on forever discussing the reach of all these factors, however, the important thing here is that we really don’t know first hand what famine is.
We’ve become God’s spoiled brats.
The United States government issued the poverty line for Puerto Rico to be fifteen thousand or less. IN other words, if you make $1,250 per month you are going to face economic prejudice. In Puerto Rico sad to say, it’s not really about education, or your ability to land a great job, it’s more about who you know and the connections you have. So many of us have to make ends meet with an yearly income of more or less twenty thousand.
We need to step out of our insularism.
Let’s look at Haiti, not very far away from Puerto Rico, with a major per capita income of $400 a month. In other words my friends, a monthly income of $33.
I feel wealthy in comparison, but what do I really do about it?
Does God care about all these dramatic issues?
YES!
But, I might just wonder for a second, that He’s going to care more about Haiti than for us. Specially in a world where large areas of our global population live below the REAL poverty line where famine is just a step away.
Does he really care about our Church’s Anniversary itinerary or about what we think is sin, or all the debate that has our local synod buzzing or does He care a bit more for Rosa Robles who lives in sanctuary in South Side Presbyterian Church?
A temple that not only is where people gather to worship, but also is a home for a woman and her family. Where it’s members protect and become our Lord’s hands and voice to help one of his children facing the government.
Our denomination has such a strong social justice calling and basically one of the things that makes me Presbyterian.
That’s why not only do we believe in equality for ALL of God’s children, we also care enough to donate our time and resources to a small Kitui (Kenya) area for it to have enough water to build a strong community where resources like water are now close and not miles away from home.
Less then thirty people were able to work with this community to help them complete this project. God cares enough to move our spirits towards generosity to give freely and joyfully to this and other projects through One Great Hour of Sharing.
If we have to deal with chronic illness, homosexuality, divorce, separation, grief, economic hardship, family issues, deciding to get married or not, our children, our personal projects, money or jobs and so many more other things then let it be.
All of these situations are particular to each one of us and all come in boxes that our Lord places in our hands with ribbons. The ribbons are the many opportunities He gives us to handle them.
The truth is, we want our lives to be perfect, and that my friends is not going to happen. So, in a sense you can say God cares, but not as much as He does for those who struggle each day for survival.
So my dear “amigos” and “amigas” please let’s get over ourselves and open up to a global world that has more to the eye then we can possible see. Life is full of endless opportunities and blessings, just stretch out your hand to catch some of them and never stop believing in yourself or life’s beauty.
“Hasta la próxima.”
