Friends, I didn't write last night because I was tired & also because I was troubled. I finished up The Problem of Pain, and one of Lewis's main ideas is that God gives/allows pain for our own good. We get too comfy and think we're secure in our cozy lives, and we don't look to him at all. He knows that what is best for us is to be surrendered to him, so he shakes us up a little. Lewis also believes that we have to live by natural laws in order to have a stable universe, therefore miracles must be rare. So, some things just happen, and some things (all things?) are allowed or sent by God to cause us to turn to him.
This is all something I have to chew on a bit & work my head around. It mostly makes sense, but then I get stuck again. It's not as if the question of evil & pain is going to be completely solved, but I still want more. One of the things I really like, though, is that he doesn't buy into that rubbish about it all being for God's glory. When people offer that as comfort to someone hurting, it makes you think, "Well, bully for you, God! I'm glad you're getting a kick out of this." He points out that God is goodness and we are the objects of his love. It is all for our good.
Perhaps later, after my paper is written, I'll give you some of the gems I've come up with or the really great quotes from his books. Later.
For now, I'm thinking I'm not going to meet all of my homework goals for the day again, and I think it's due to dairy. Gah. Yes, I'm getting over being sick, but it should be gone by now, and I think that gluten & dairy don't help.
2 comments:
I've often wondered the same thing, particularly when people take verses like Romans 8:28 out of context to imply that because God loves us, our lives should be hunky-dory.
I'll be curious to read what you uncover about the "for His glory/for our good" dilemma. I can think of plenty of examples with my kiddos where I've made decisions that were for their own good, not for my glory, yet not for their happiness, either. Sometimes thinking from that perspective helps me deal with situations where it doesn't "feel" like God has my best interests in mind ... even though He does.
p.s. My captcha is "tatooiou" ... oh, dear - I owe you a tattoo?!? Sounds like the makings of a girls' weekend getaway to me! LOL
Heck yeah, a tattoo weekend sounds great!
Lewis was basically imploring us to trust the goodness of God. So, though you may not have made a decision in the interest of the boy's happiness right now, it was for his good & will lead to more happiness later because you're forming him into a better person.
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