Shockingly!

God has us in his care. While it is fine and normal to be totally shocked by calamity, cancer, and the carelessness of others, God is living in us and isn't surprised by anything at all. Free will doesn't exist. The unredeemed are controlled by the sin nature, and the saved are controlled by God himself.

Physical death probably doesn't change this, but it does change how the nature in which we perceive God's love for us. Little do many Christians know that we are already seated in the heavenlies. (Yes, spellchecker, "Heavenlies".

And in the end, since we have done nothing to get God to care for us as he does, there isn't anything we can do the get him to keep caring. He has said that He would. So, the totally shocking moments in life aren't from God, but are there so that life can be lived and see how God is an active member of our lives. And no, He isn't shocked. Not one bit. It is His desire that we live as if we are really cared for.

Are we cursed?

Lots of mega-tragedies during 2010. Does this indicate a lack of holiness in those areas touched by grief and death?

No.

It does mean that humans are very weak, and people do need comfort that only God can really give, but the earth is the earth and it is going to do this sort of thing.

Neither Elijah nor Arnie Knew

Elijah at one point in his life became upset because he felt like he was the only righteous one. Every Christian has felt that way. I think was has always struck me is that God didn't rebuke or question the confidence Elijah had in his faith. So, hubris wasn't Elijah's problem. The problem was the incorrect definition of what a "righteous person" looked like. Elijah's definition only allowed a function set of 1 - himself. God told him that was not the case, and in fact was not Elijah's job to worry about.

3500 years and yet, with a slowly growing grace movement in the hearts of those around me when I just assumed that it wouldn't nor couldn't happen.

"Arnie, I'm glad that you feel my love and sense a bit of how much I care for you. But that doesn't mean that I am so small that I can't do that for others."

Reminiscing

Looking back and looking forward in one's life are different when living in God's grace compared to not living with the complete feeling that God is truly caring for everything that a person is.

A paused mind (not easy in today's 24/7 locked-in world), maybe when slightly drunk, can lead people to pine for an earlier time before their current troubles began. Yet, I perceive that experience in reverse. God shows us his love as we experience difficulties. "These days" are in fact the days that will try our patience the most, and days past were only worse than today since a smaller life experience of the past meant that one's understanding of grace was smaller.

When I reminisce I really end up imagining how good it soon will be, once our frail bodies are made whole. We have every blessing we could ever need, now. Only our physical weakness is holding us back. That will end very soon.

The Chase

I ran after a kid a school that was up to no good and I felt the need to talk to him. As I approached and asked to talk, he bolted, and so did I. Two days later my legs are still sore, even though the race only lasted about 40 yards.

Anyway, it was a somewhat threatening experience for me, in hindsight. He could have been a lot more dangerous with me personally than he was. Why did I not want him to get away? I think that I just didn't want to have him get away that easily, and I am pretty fast for a short burst, and I was pretty sure that I could keep up if I didn't have a lot of stamina either. Still, what did I think that I was accomplishing?

I'm still mystified. Truly, only God knows. And for now, that is all who needs to know.

My wife thinks that the incident shows how difficult my job is in general and that I should consider something less stressful. Not an unworthy idea. And God does use events in just that way. But life with God is easy to live correctly, not difficult to figure out. Choices and events may seem small and decisions unrelated, but it is all being "worked together for good" by God.

Fortunately so.