joyful2beeblogs

God and prayer are not just for Christians. The Native Americans prayed to the Great Spirit: Wakan Tanka (Great Mystery in Lakota or the Great Life Force that flows in and through all beings.); Gitche Manitoui in Algonquian; Supreme Being in some other languages. God was known to many before the coming of Christianity.

Lately I have been frustrated by the lack of improvement in our world’s situation. Thousands have been massacred over the centuries; killed by diseases; homeless due to the economy, bad luck, closing of businesses; little children are dying. But the world continues.

There are many who are honestly trying to resolve these issues, find cures, broker peace, and many are just surviving as best they can.

I have seen patients who were angry at God for “letting them get sick” or not “protecting them from evil.” Good people, Christians, Buddhist, Muslims, Hindu and people of other faiths suffer alike in various ways. This tells me that pain and suffering is not just for a certain religion, race, culture, or anything that separates one person from another.

The painful parts of our lives are not to punish us. Although some things we do to our bodies can cause the problems which then cause us pain. We make choices and sometimes we have to live with the consequences.

But I can not see groups of people, including innocent children, being massacred or attacked or murdered as something God does. I believe they are things that man does to man, which to me are horrible in their own right. Then there are things that just happen, like hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanoes, earthquakes.

Right now there are many thousands of people who are suffering from the fires in the state of Washington and other northern states. Many have lost jobs, or medical assistance from Medicare or government. Our country is hurting and suffering. Please pray for God’s help.