Each month, I like to post a blog “essay” using spiritual metaphors. This month:
No Stepford Wives for God
If God loves everyone as Christians are fond of telling the world, then why does He allow evil? Why doesn’t He just make people love Him and do good things? Then all would be right in our universe. Wouldn’t it?
These questions keep cropping up, especially when I hear bad news or watch world events. I’ve heard several attempted answers, and while I may agree with some of them, the responses don’t satisfy my heart.
There is the “Just Trust and Obey” answer. Certainly, as a Christian, I need to trust and obey Jesus in everything, but any actions on my part don’t solve the riddle of an all-powerful God putting up with evil, even if it’s temporary.
And there’s the “Tapestry” answer. I like that one better. Because God knows everything, He can see beyond my immediate pain. He knows how He is going to use the situation for my future good. He could do that for every single person on the earth, plus those who are not yet born, plus he could’ve done it for all the millions that ever lived before the twenty-first century. Mind-boggling! I border on a panic attack trying to comprehend His abilities.
Knowing God has that much power and knowledge is comforting, but again, He could work out those situations so no one would have to endure pain if He wanted to. I’m back at Square One with my original question.
Another answer has the most potential to satisfy me. I’ve dubbed it, “No Stepford Wives.” Within a limited analogy, I can relate the earthly to the heavenly and gain some knowledge and wisdom. The term ‘Stepford Wife’ has become synonymous with creating something that “loves” you. Stepford wives never argued with their husbands, never left dishes in the sink, never suffered from headaches at bedtime. They were perfect—but ultimately dissatisfying. Why? Because they never really loved their husbands, not of their own free will. The husband knew that he had manufactured her feelings. Would she still love him if he relinquished control?
God doesn’t want to make us love Him either. He could. We could all be living in some version of the Garden of Eden, little robots with no thoughts of our own. Perhaps, we would be happier in our ignorance, but we wouldn’t know the joy of choosing to love others. And God wouldn’t be satisfied with manufactured love.
I read somewhere that God is the most emotional Being that exists. I don’t mean emotional in the sense of being unstable and not in control of emotions. No, He has total control. He is more joyful than we can comprehend, and His sorrow goes deeper than any of us could ever bear. He made us to be creatures like Himself in that we are capable of loving, willing to make sacrifices for someone else. And the greatest gift we can offer is to love Him because we want to.
When humans don’t love God, they choose not to love God. Evil is the consequence. God already knows how He will deal with every evil. In the meantime, He is willing to create further generations who have the opportunity to choose to love Him, and whenever an individual does so, He sits back satisfied and says, “It is good.”
(credit for “Dear God” to Dave Mathhews Apostle/Evangelist of God)
