HOW CAN WE BLAME GOD IF THERE IS NO GOD?

This God that Israel—and Jesus—discovered is consistently seen to be 'merciful, gracious, faithful, forgiving, and steadfast in love.' -- Richard Rohr, "Daily Meditations," July 12, 2014

I read that this morning and wondered why it is for so many that we can desperately want to believe that God, that our own personal God, is “merciful, gracious, faithful, forgiving, and steadfast in love,” yet at our first molehill/Mount Everest, we immediately dismiss that idea and know, just know, that God is mean, vindictive, angry, and punishing. Plus, doesn't exist in the first place...has never existed for that matter.

For if God exists, is indeed "merciful, gracious, faithful, forgiving, and steadfast in love,” and we find ourselves all alone, jobless and homeless, isn't that the very time we most need all the merciful and steadfast love we can get?

Why would we then, at such a dire time of need, decide to go for a God who is mean, vindictive, angry, and punishing? Or no God at all?

Which reminds me, how can we blame God for all our woes if there is no God? That leaves our very own self alone to blame if blame we must. Our ego, of course, does not allow for the blame to be ours; it can and will find somebody out there to blame...a friend, an enemy, our spouse, our boss, a co-worker, terrorists. Our ego's sources of woe are endless with the focus always being outward.

Apparently we'd rather hold onto our own ideas than change our mind. For that is essentially all that is necessary...we must become willing to change our mind and than do it. Change our mind...then, trickier, keep it changed.

That, however, is the hardest part of all, changing our mind...for, just like acceptance/surrender, we cannot self-will a changed mind, just because we "know better" or just because we want to. Actual acceptance requires pain...psychic pain, in that no blood is let, no skin is broken, no bumps show. Changing our mind feels much more painful than that caused by mere bumps and bruises...after all, they go away fairly quickly.

I remember a story a friend told me long ago of when she was a little girl and went to the beach for her first time. She ran into the water and was promptly knocked down by a wave and couldn't get up. She fought till she was exhausted, and she knew...had the conscious thought...that she was drowning. She just gave up, had to just quit fighting...with which the next wave picked her up and brought her into the shore...to safety on the sand.

That's a picture we can try to hold to when we want, but are unwilling and cannot will ourselves willing, to change our mind...to surrender. Give up and wait for the next wave...to swamp us or save us.

The gift comes when we realize God may or may not bring us to our idea of safety. We find our peace when we pray for God's perfect idea of safety. And, in its coming, when it looks like a shark not an inner-tube...welcome that. Think "thank you."

Now that is a changed mind.

Thank you.