Weather, God and Will

Ø  Nature and random acts – weather the storm  

(note: a bit more on the serious side for this post, no humor in this one)

Have you seen the random patterns of flattened wheat or oats in a farmer’s field after a strong thunder storm, or just high winds or the occurrence of micro-bursts? Across the expanse of acres and acres there are these sections of sporadic spaces where pockets are flattened, laid to waste as they are too low to be extracted when the regular harvest time comes. Those areas are lost to nature’s power and nuance. Nuance because it doesn’t take the whole field, but just pockets leaving a standing boarder of other grain stalks still standing less than a half inch away, side by side, even touching one another in lighter breezes and often even together side by side weathering the severe storms, but in this case, in this instance, for whatever reason(s) separated, some live others lie flat, damaged, wilted to perish. Living things thriving one moment and lost in an instant a moment later.

Natural disasters in common language, even business contracts, that have adverse effects to property and person are called “acts of God”. And when human life is lost its “Gods will” as well as when people survive, that’s “Gods will” too. You often hear survivors speak about their prayers being answered and how God saved them. Sadly, you also hear those who lost family and friends say their departed loved ones “are in Gods care”. The loss of life and property, the devastation and ruin, the upheaval of lives of so many – “Gods will”?

I believe in God. I believe in the power of prayer. I believe this planet of many living things; animal, plant and people are all intertwined in a natural, physical and spiritual world. I can see the hand of God everywhere, everyday, in everything. But I don’t hold the belief that it is God’s predestined plan for one stalk of wheat standing next to the other to be selected to survive and the stalk next to it to be laid to waste, nor do I believe God’s will or plan is directly at hand when a mother survives and her child dies as they are side by side in a catastrophic event like a tornado. I don’t believe neighboring families are selected by God, one to live and the other die. And I don’t believe one families prayers were answered and the others, not. Or that one prayed more, lived better lives, prayed harder, practiced the right religion, and the other was not or did not. I believe some will find comfort in prayers after such tragic loss, and I know others, will not find solace or comfort from their loss.

The true “acts of God” and true instances “of Gods will” are in those companionate acts of others who extend themselves to assist and help all touched by such devastating events; giving, caring, consoling, understanding, participating in ones joy and the others grief – that is Gods plan, that is the true spirit of human nature, the pain and the pleasure of heart and soul in loving ones neighbor, whether next door, in your town or the next, your state, your country, this world, to all living things regardless of Religion, race or color, to coexist and weather the storms as best we can.