OK, so it's been a long time since I've written a real post...something with substance and thoughtfulness. I guess I don't write that often because a lot of it would be too personal to post here (that's what journals are for!). But that's no excuse...there's plenty to write about, it just takes some effort on my part.
Anyways, lately I have been thinking a lot about the idea of suffering and goodness. I recently had a Theology on Tap night about, "how can there be suffering in the world when there is a good God who loves us?" The summary of the night was that God doesn't give us suffering but merely allows it. Sometimes people say when a loved one dies that "God wanted to take them, it was their time." I really don't believe that. God doesn't take people from us but he does know it will happen and he allows it. It all goes back to having free will. If God stopped suffering, he would have to take away our free will.
So then I got to thinking, if God doesn't stop suffering because he can't take away free will, then how does he work good in our lives? What I mean by this is, how does he have people do things to bring about good? For example, everyone has always told me that God has a specific person in mind that God's going to put in my life someday and it will be the person I will fall in love with and marry. But how can God do that if he doesn't interfere with our free will? He can't make that person do something or be somewhere at a certain time in order to meet me...can he? Then how does it work? Does he plant an idea in our heads and we have the choice to listen or not? It's hard to understand how it works because I know that personally I am not very good at listening to God sometimes. I bet I've missed a thousand suggestions from God. I guess God already knows that sometimes it will take a thousand hints until a person finally listens. Maybe he has already planned for that and somehow it all works according to his plan anyway. I still don't quite get it though...
