Dear God

Dear God,

It's cold outside. Grey clouds block the warmth of the sun, wind whips tree limbs and leaves alike, and the first smells of a returning season fill the air. There have been many times that such a rain has done its best to wash away my faith, but not today. Rain is simply just falling water. Water is the foundation of all physical life. Without water, anything, everything, would die. I no longer see the grey clouds as some sort of blockade, a barrier from warmth, a barrier from happiness. The clouds bring the rain, and the rain brings life. The water washes away the grime and the dirt and nurtures earthly life.

I was watching the news not too long ago, and there were numerous pictures and video clips of natural disasters and wartime horrors. For each picture and clip, there was at least one person who decided that You were to blame for the mess and the pain. The names I remember not, but the quotes and the occurrence, I remember well. Several years ago, when Hurricane Katrina hit in New Orleans, one man bellowed that New Orleans was a dirty city, and that the wrath of God was cleansing it of the filth. Another man, a priest, or something close to that, said that during the time of such an overwhelming crisis, You showed a perfect example of love. Yes, troubles were upon us, but the levies didn't break the first day. You gave time to leave. You gave time for life to continue. You gave an opportunity for life or death choices.

Many people talk about Hurricane Katrina and the earth quake in Haiti and plenty of other recent catastrophes, and a majority of those speaking of the occurrences point a finger at You. They preach things around, "If God existed, why are these troubles happening?" and other statements filled with doubt. They also shout about how the world is ending because of all the natural disasters and all the ways You 'don't care for us.'

How ironic that these are the same people who just ask You for objects and situations in their life. It is my understanding that You do not just give out what is asked for, but you create the opportunity to achieve said desires. You are not the Universal Bank, you are not some sort of never ending Walmart. You are the divine being that created us. You are the divine being that gave us the two most valuable things in existence: a soul and freedom.

Where can a soul be purchased? Where can freedom just be given?

No where.

A soul can be left behind or given away, but it cannot be replaced. One person, one soul. That's it. A soul can be healed and a soul can help heal others, but it cannot be replaced. Along with the soul is the freedom to use it; this freedom is tied with responsibility. Freedom isn't a long walk in a meadow filled with only beauty, freedom is the fact that we can select, alter, and change our life path. Our lives are influenced by You, and You create a place for us to live these lives, but You do not make our specific choices. So why are we blaming You for earthy things when You left such matters up to us? And why do we claim that You hate us when so many of us refuse to let you in our lives?

If the world is going to end while we, humans, are in existence, it is because we have not taken care of the world. The world is not our room. The world is not a place that one can continuously trash, and that is alright because it can be continuously cleaned. The world is our home, and if a home is trashed, it is never again the same. Especially when our roommates cannot help us clean it up, mostly because they had to part of the mess, so how can they know what to clean, or how?

We make ourselves trapped, so there is no reason for us to be cursing at You for the lack of freedom we feel. We come into this world as a pure, clean slate. We're even naked to highlight such. I don't know how we can keep blaming You, or even why we do, but I refuse to blame You for the faults I create myself. However, I do ask that you help me when I am overwhelmed with the consequences of my poor choices. I also ask that you rejoice with me when I reap the rewards of my good choices.