tea party - jen's pen

Jen's Pen

Tonight, I gathered with others for a discussion on “Shark Attacks: Where is God?”, as part of Soulfood. Initially, I was uninspired by the theme and thought it a little trite or simplistic in the link between random natural events and spirituality, but instead found it raised a few points I wanted to share with you all.

To summarise, the discussion revolved around the recent fatal shark attack at Amity Point, Stradbroke Island and the question of God’s interaction in such events. Was Sarah Wiley’s death a random act of nature? Was it an act of God? And why if God is proported as the supreme master of all creation and nature itself, did he not spare this Christian believer?

Bible verses (Luke 13:1–5 and 10–17) were linked in, along with a chapter from a book on “Why is there so much suffering?”. Again a trite title for the chapter, but it provided me with the most singularly powerful explanation (if ever there is one to be had in faith itself) to untangle a few knots ensnaring the meaning of suffering. Namely, ‘God does not send suffering, he allows it’.

I take from this that suffering is a result of human sin but is not an act of God to punish us as sinners. The greater the sin does not mean the greater the punishment or illness that will be wrought upon us. Our suffering is a result of human imperfection, of blind free will, that leads us, atheists and Christians alike, astray. It is not metered out to atheists more than Christians and we are all subject to this curse of a sinful world. As sinners all, Christians are no less or more deserving of a painful death than the next man.

But if we are the implements by which God uses suffering to teach lessons, to give examples, to save others from a similar fate then God is conversely also an interventionist. Surely our answered prayers are an example of this? But as was contested, is it God whom is the one answering? Then there are the times when prayers are asked, but seemingly not answered. Are we then being deemed unworthy of a miracle or is the miracle the act performed by ourselves in our faith for God to work wonders? Is the miracle, the answered prayer, that Sarah’s death was quick and she was not left to live through lack of blood and oxygen a brain damaged individual. Maybe this was a prayer, a desire that Sarah has expressed to God at some time, and which in turn was answered on this fateful day by a quick exit.

In the tapestry of life to which we are not the weavers but the beholders of the mere threads, the finished picture may seem all too vague. Perhaps the creativeness of God is too big to comprehend, the ultimate plan all too distant, or our eyes and ears shut to his influence. It could be said that, while horrifying this death at Amity point was, the following publicity that ensured may well have opened our eyes and ears to the suddenness and temerity of death. Should we take this death, like that of the Siloams’, that death comes to us all. Be that suddenly and unjustifiably, be that as an example to turn from sin and seek out our goals/God now and find our purpose - for we must sooner rather than later ask ourselves, "Are we ready to die?"

I can honestly answer No.


	thoughtful thoughts from jen h Jen's Pen Tonight, I gathered with others for a discussion on “Shark Attacks: Where is God?”, as part of Soulfood. Initially, I was uninspired by the theme and thought it a little trite or simplistic in the link between random natural events and spirituality, but instead found it raised a few points I wanted to share with you all. To summarise, the discussion revolved around the recent fatal shark attack at Amity Point, Stradbroke Island and the question of God’s interaction in such events. Was Sarah Wiley’s death a random act of nature? Was it an act of God? And why if God is proported as the supreme master of all creation and nature itself, did he not spare this Christian believer? Bible verses (Luke 13:1–5 and 10–17) were linked in, along with a chapter from a book on “Why is there so much suffering?”. Again a trite title for the chapter, but it provided me with the most singularly powerful explanation (if ever there is one to be had in faith itself) to untangle a few knots ensnaring the meaning of suffering. Namely, ‘God does not send suffering, he allows it’. I take from this that suffering is a result of human sin but is not an act of God to punish us as sinners. The greater the sin does not mean the greater the punishment or illness that will be wrought upon us. Our suffering is a result of human imperfection, of blind free will, that leads us, atheists and Christians alike, astray. It is not metered out to atheists more than Christians and we are all subject to this curse of a sinful world. As sinners all, Christians are no less or more deserving of a painful death than the next man. But if we are the implements by which God uses suffering to teach lessons, to give examples, to save others from a similar fate then God is conversely also an interventionist. Surely our answered prayers are an example of this? But as was contested, is it God whom is the one answering? Then there are the times when prayers are asked, but seemingly not answered. Are we then being deemed unworthy of a miracle or is the miracle the act performed by ourselves in our faith for God to work wonders? Is the miracle, the answered prayer, that Sarah’s death was quick and she was not left to live through lack of blood and oxygen a brain damaged individual. Maybe this was a prayer, a desire that Sarah has expressed to God at some time, and which in turn was answered on this fateful day by a quick exit. In the tapestry of life to which we are not the weavers but the beholders of the mere threads, the finished picture may seem all too vague. Perhaps the creativeness of God is too big to comprehend, the ultimate plan all too distant, or our eyes and ears shut to his influence. It could be said that, while horrifying this death at Amity point was, the following publicity that ensured may well have opened our eyes and ears to the suddenness and temerity of death. Should we take this death, like that of the Siloams’, that death comes to us all. Be that suddenly and unjustifiably, be that as an example to turn from sin and seek out our goals/God now and find our purpose - for we must sooner rather than later ask ourselves, "Are we ready to die?" I can honestly answer No.