A year with God, day 1 of 366

1-1-2012

I think I will start by trying to define my concept of God. 

I suppose I think of him rather like an author who has created a vast and complicated world filled with all kinds of characters-- kind ones, mean ones, hurting ones, happy ones, angry ones . . .

I think God is vast and deep and . . . interested.  I think He likes to watch us live, to see how we react to things.  I'm talking about the concept of free will, I suppose.  And even thought God knows what our actions will be, He is still fascinated by watching us live and the choices we make, for good or ill.

I think God wants us to have a happily ever after, but His definition of happy might not quite be what we have in mind.

In a 'The Curse of Chalion' by Lois McMaster Bujold, one of her characters is pondering the gods.  He has the idea that the gods (in the story) can't see the physical.  They can only see the souls.   So in that story, the gods were largely indifferent to physical pain and suffering.

That is an interesting idea, but not entirely accurate, even in the book it was written in.  But to God, our physical bodies are a temporary thing, and we are here to . .  maybe to learn what we need for after we finish our lives.

But the most important thing, the thing I am sure of, is that praising God takes a million different forms.  'Whatever you do, do it gladly, as for the Lord' (and I don't remember off hand which book of the Bible that's from. 

But a farmer can praise God by sowing seeds, an architect can praise God by designing a building, a nurse can praise God by bringing a glass of water to a sick person . . .  and a writer can praise God by creating stories, even ones with elves and werewolves and talking animals.

A story does not have to be Biblical or factual to tell us something about God.  Though the Bible does cover just about every human condition imaginable, as much or more so than the Greek tragedies.  And even Jesus used parables to illustrate his point.

I suppose my point is this:  if you look for God, you will find him, even if you're reading science fiction or fantasy novels or whatever.

This is kind of a rambling thing, and disjointed and random, but as I stated this is my way of working through my thoughts.  Hopefully, future posts will be more specific, and cohesive.