RELIGION —
If bitterness has not already invaded your mind, it’s camped outside your door, ready to take over and scramble your faith in God. Tragedy can open the door to this dangerous attitude.
We recognize it sometimes in the elderly who, having weathered some of life’s storms, have succumbed to disbelief in the goodness of God. The suffering and death of loved ones finally robbed them of faith that was strong when times were good.
But bitterness also stalks the young. I was only 24 when I first struggled with it. When leukemia claimed the life of our 3-year-old son, bitterness whispered, “If God really loved you, He would not have let your son die.” Fortunately, my faith was strong enough to resist this insidious invasion of my soul.
Samuel Clemens, or Mark Twain, was not so fortunate in his old age. The popular writer, who blessed us with the adventures of Tom Sawyer, endured later the sadness of burying three of his four children and his wife. While there is debate as to whether or not Clemens became a bitter old man, the last story he wrote seems to be evidence that he did. One critic says that Twain’s story, “The Mysterious Stranger”, is “a heartbreaking picture of Clemens’ anger at God.”
The story depicts two boys who, while walking in the woods, meet a man who shows them his miraculous power to create miniature people. He does that, putting his creatures down in a forest clearing. The boys watch as the little people work together to build a castle and lovely villages around it. But just as the people are about to enjoy the fruit of their labor, the “stranger” concocts a violent storm that engulfs the little people and their homes. Their faces wet with tears, the two boys watch in horror as the little people frantically try to save themselves, only to be destroyed by the flood. All the miniature people are drowned, their property obliterated.
When the boys express their disapproval for what the stranger has done, he replies with a smile, “Why are you so upset? I can make more of them.”
Was Clemens angry with God? Such a story suggests he was. Did the injustices of life lead to the collapse of his faith? Perhaps so. But the more important question is a personal one. Will I allow tragedy and injustice to rob me of my faith in the goodness of God? Will I open the door of my mind to bitterness? Will you?
My answer is NO, I will not. And I shall not as long as I believe that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is a suffering God who is with me when tragedy strikes, hurting with me and constantly offering me sufficient grace to persevere through the darkest of days. Not as long as I believe our loving Father will restore my joy and heal my broken heart. Not as long as I believe the Cross symbolizes God’s power to turn tragedy into blessing. Not as long as I believe that God, not evil, will have the last word. Not as long as I believe with Handel that the kingdom of this world will one day become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. Not as long as I believe the Lord God omnipotent reigns.
And I do so believe! Hallelujah!