I am no theologian, but I don’t think God micromanages the Universe. (Who has that kind of time?) When something catastrophic happens—like the earthquake in northern Japan—I think that’s Nature doing its thing—not a God of Wrath dumping tragedy on innocent people. But I do think the God who made everything picks up the pieces.
Likewise when I see an event like the Japanese earthquake—or the tsunami in Indonesia or the earthquake in Haiti or Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans—I think, why did those people get the boom lowered on them and not me? The answer, of course, is: but for the grace of God go I.
God could have easily made me an Indonesian girl and stuck me on the shores of Banda Aceh. But instead I got stuck with an unfamilial family in California. [I could argue which is worse 
]
The situation in Japan is dire. Thousands of people perished and hundreds of thousands are without shelter, food, water, and electricity. What a mess. (What an understatement!)
Lately it seems like the whole world is falling apart in so many ways and in so many countries. How much man-made and nature-made strife can the Earth absorb before it crumbles into oblivion?
Yesterday I stood on my driveway and talked for an hour with my neighbor about how crappy America has gotten—how the American ideal of working hard earns you a good life is all but evaporating. The U.S. has serious socio-economic problems. My neighbor said she tries not to think about it. I can’t stop thinking about it…
What hath we wrought?
Not just here, but in Japan, Libya, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Africa, Haiti, Palestine, Israel, Pakistan, North Korea, China, Russia, Mexico…oh heck, the whole planet needs help!
Now would be a good time for God to pick up the pieces.
In the meantime, tonight I’m listening to one of my all-time favorite CDs: All That You Can’t Leave Behind by U2 (from 2000). Its poignancy and spiritual worldview soothe me, give me hope….
Here are two of the many excellent songs:
1. “Grace” – lyrics by Bono, music by U2
She takes the blame
She covers the shame
Removes the stain
It could be her nameGrace
It’s a name for a girl
It’s also a thought that changed the world
And when she walks on the street
You can hear the strings
Grace finds goodness in everything…What once was hurt
What once was friction
What left a mark
No longer stings
Because grace makes beauty
Out of ugly things…2. “Peace on Earth” – lyrics by Bono; music by U2
Heaven on Earth
We need it now
I’m sick of all of this
Hanging aroundSick of sorrow
I’m sick of the pain
I’m sick of hearing
Again and again
That there’s gonna be
Peace on Earth…Tell the ones who hear no sound
Whose sons are living in the ground
Peace on EarthNo whos or whys
No one cries like a mother cries
For peace on EarthShe never got to say goodbye
To see the color in his eyes
Now he’s in the dirt
Peace on Earth…Jesus can you take the time
To throw a drowning man a line?
Peace on Earth…
Take a listen to “Peace on Earth:”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J74E6yanaO8&feature=related
Here’s a floral version of “Grace:”
