God is in control

This is an age old theological question. Is God really in control? For hundreds of years, the debate plays out this way. God cannot be both good and in control. If he is in control, then he is not very nice because he lets hurricanes kill people, etc.

We like to talk about freewill. If we have freewill, God cannot be in control of everything. If he controls my decisions, then my decisions mean nothing. If we believe in free will, we need to be careful about the words we choose when we talk about God being in control.

One of the best books on this subject is by Harold Kushner, "When bad things happen to good people."

In his book, he suggests that God does not control everything, but he allows things to happen. Some things happen randomly and this leaves room for our choices and meaningful responses.

If God must control everything, then I am no longer responsible. If God allows things, my choices matter. Random difficulty in the world is not controlled by God. The rain falls on the just and the unjust.

I had a diseased gall bladder that had to come out. I had a flat tire. That is all. God didn't make that happen. Things happen. Some of the things that happen, we don't like. Saying that God somehow made those things happen may make us feel better for the moment, but that kind of thinking turns us into marionettes.

Meaning in life is not found by blaming God for bad things, or praying that God will take bad things away. I am not saying that we should not try to better ourselves, we should. But sometimes we can't control our environment. The kingdom of God is not meat nor drink. Meaning in life is found when we face the hand that we are dealt, with grace and joy. When we offer our lives to God in spite of circumstances. He is glorified in us as we choose to embrace him, no matter what may be happening around us.

That is why every day is a beautiful day. Circumstances are not always that great, but for those who choose to see the good, it is a beautiful day in God's world.