I have had my share of physical problem, and am ahead of you in this earthly walk. We serve a big God. He can take all the questions you have. Sometimes we find out the answers here, and sometimes we will just have to wait. But ask away. His love never ends.

I’ve decided not to read other people’s comments before I post, so forgive me if my brief comments duplicate someone else’s.

Anyway, I LOVE this post. Your honesty is so refreshing. I have spent the last ten years of my life questioning God (and the first eighteen following God in blind obedience), and I would say that my faith is stronger and more real than the faith of my teens, it’s one others (particularly non-Christians, I think) can relate to. I don’t trust God to fix every little thing in my life and make it all better in the here and now, but I do believe that he will do that in the “not yet.”

And while, I sometimes question God to the point of bitterness, allowing myself to feel that anger (and then assessing the situation intellectually and theologically) and grieve over the wrong things that I’ve been taught about God helps the bitterness flow out of me like tears. I hope that makes sense . . .

Thanks again for being a breath of fresh air (despite that phrase’s cliche)!

Keep asking, keep trusting and keep stretching us through your honesty!

Thank you

thanks for your clear critique of glib words we as Christians are too often quick to offer. I just read a book where the author points out that we as Christians too quickly judge each other’s faith by how we respond to struggles. It is something that is frustrating to me because I feel like it is hard to be real with those type of people. Any time we have to conjure a super-spiritual mask to “look good” spiritually means we cannot live incarnationally. For the nature of the incarnation does not despise our human-ness, rather understands it and responds with love, not judgment.

For me I love the pictures of Moses and Adam and Eve. I can’t imagine that Adam and Eve’s conversations with God, as they walked through the garden, were without questions and curiosity. And Moses’ confrontations of God when God wanted to wipe out the Israelites for their unfaithfulness are inspiring. Moses was quick to remind God of His promises. He argued and pleaded with God on behalf of the people and their various needs. Now that’s a real relationship!

I agree with those who commented that it is all about relationship. Real relationships involve interaction, giving and taking. Even Jesus begged that the cup of the cross be taken from him. In the end he was willing to submit to what God wanted him to do, but the human questions, fears and struggle were all there, yes, even in Jesus.

alan – good point about us usually being more uncomfortable with questions that God is. We project our feelings onto God and assume he thinks/feels like we do.