Morning Meanderings

Our daily walk, the dogs and I, began at 6:30 AM. Light was just making its presence known. I guess my mind was in one of those reflective modes that leads to no conclusions but certainly taxes ones mental capacity.

If God is so benevolent why is life so difficult?

If God is a loving God, why does he create a test that must be passed before one finds salvation? Or is it just Christianity that sets up the test?

Why do persons who fervently believe in God and have faith in the ever after use fear as a binding philosophy? And, why do they believe they are the only persons with the keys to heaven?

If God created the heavens and the earth then aren't all creatures results of his creation? If so shouldn't they all go to heaven?

As I walked pondering these weighty questions as I have done so often over the years, I came upon a small Vole making its way across a mowed section of the yard in the island area. I stopped and watched it. At first I wondered what was it doing out in the open, unprotected by overhanging grass? I thought it might be feeding on seeds, but then as I watched it was pretty intent on negotiating the broad expanse of ground. So where was it going and why? I also thought, well with one stomp of my foot I could end its existence. I chose not to. It wasn't near the house, wasn't even headed in that direction, so leave it be. The dogs were with me, and I wondered if they might happen upon the small creature and devour it. I did not try to interfere as I have a fairly strong belief in letting the events of nature unfold. That pass through the yard the dogs missed the Vole.

Now some minutes had passed and we were coming around again, the dogs sniffing and snooping as they do. As I approached the island area I began scouring the ground looking for the Vole. I saw it, it had made it to within a foot of the deep grass and was scurrying just as quickly as its little legs would negotiate the grass. I walked by it. The dogs were on the south side of the pine that makes the island the island and the Vole was near the deep cover on the north side of the pine. I thought if the dogs go around the pine they will surely spot the Vole and a snack will be realized by one of them. I looked back over my shoulder as I rounded the pine, the dogs were at the base of the pine sniffing. Had the Vole left a scent trail? The dogs turned back to the south away from the Vole and followed me out of the island area. The next pass I made past that same area showed no Vole, it was apparently in the deep grass, safe, perhaps scouting out some succulent seeds.

Now, back to God. We are an ingenious species. We create mechanical things that carry us on roads, on the air, and across the water. Our knowledge comes through questioning our surroundings and our relationship with those surroundings. Therefore, it must also be natural to question our relationship with God. If not our relationship with God then certainly our purpose and relationship with the world. We learn by discovery, but we haven't discovered the true nature of God. Could that be because there is no "Old Father" figure depicted by our forebears as God. Does God evolve? A great theological writer, Paul Tillich, once wrote on the evolving nature of God. I think it is more about the evolving nature of Man and his reconciliation of Man's concept of God to our current reality. A thousand years ago persons who might inject a vaccine into a person to prevent illness, or concoct a drug to overcome a health problem were burned at the stack because of their power of sorcery. Today they are scientists helping relieve the ills of mankind. So perhaps God doesn't evolve, it is just our perception of God that evolves to make sense of our environment.

I am getting old. These questions are becoming important. More important is to discover the answers to these questions. I don't have a lot of time left to discover those answers. Then again, if there aren't any answers how frustrating is our existence. I sometimes admire those who rely on strong Faith to help them. I have strong Faith, I just haven't found any beliefs that I can rationally put that Faith in. Why would God withhold those answers from us. What need does God have for us to show Faith. Perhaps our Faith should be in what we can deal with and really doesn't make any difference as to what that Faith is in.

So do I believe in God? I do believe in a Power greater than I. Some may call that power God. After all, that power did relieve me of the urge to drink and that is a miracle by itself. God has been good to me and my family throughout my life. I have met good people in my travels and work. So I guess at this point I won't worry about the outcome of life because it probably is being realized as we grow older. Like many things, the answers are probably in our surroundings, I just can't see them yet. I hope I get the wisdom to view those answers before I check out.