Dear Editor,
I am annoyed and amused whenever I hear people pleading for divine intervention as a solution to Jamaica's woes. There is no question that God exists or that He is capable and can intervene wherever, whenever or however He so chooses. But are we to believe that at this very moment God is looking down from Heaven and seeing death and destruction, madness and mayhem, vicious rape, callous beheadings, disease, hunger, distress, and all manner of other ills here in Jamaica, among other places, but is refusing to intervene for lack of an invitation through prayer?
Are we suggesting that He is "carrying feelings" because we are not praying long enough, often enough or well enough and therefore has chosen not to help us? Is it not far more likely that the reason God has not, does not and will not intervene is because, though He recognises our challenges, He actually wants us to grow up and fix our own mess ourselves?
The person who constantly pleads for divine intervention is like the two-year-old toddler who, after every bump or bruise, cries and runs to mummy for her to kiss it and make it better. At some point the toddler needs to grow up and take responsibility for his life and well-being. He needs to make the transition from being a child to being a teenager and eventually to being an adult. He cannot continue to run to Mommy even as a fully grown, 50-year-old man. At some point Mommy stops kissing little Johnny's bumps and bruises too, because she knows that if she continues to do so then mentally and emotionally he will remain a child forever.
On a more comical note, let us not forget that God is already extremely busy. It must be hard work designing and constructing new galaxies and constellations and creating life in far-flung corners of the universe while simultaneously being on call 24-7 for all seven billion human inhabitants of the Earth and perhaps also for trillions of other strange and exotic creatures in galaxies scattered throughout the Universe.
While I am not discounting the value of prayer as a means of acknowledging and showing reverence to God, we cannot rely on this as a solution to our problems. While we should continue to pray, let us also focus on fixing our mess ourselves, thus proving to God that we are worthy, after all, of the brains, bodies and lives He gifted us with in the first place.
Handel Emery
handelemery@hotmail.com
50-y-o can't keep running to Mummy
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I am annoyed and amused whenever I hear people pleading for divine intervention as a solution to Jamaica's woes. There is no question that God exists or that He is capable and can intervene wherever, whenever or however He so chooses. But are we to believe that at this very moment God is looking down from Heaven and seeing death and destruction, madness and mayhem, vicious rape, callous beheadings, disease, hunger, distress, and all manner of other ills here in Jamaica, among other places, but is refusing to intervene for lack of an invitation through prayer?
Are we suggesting that He is "carrying feelings" because we are not praying long enough, often enough or well enough and therefore has chosen not to help us? Is it not far more likely that the reason God has not, does not and will not intervene is because, though He recognises our challenges, He actually wants us to grow up and fix our own mess ourselves?
The person who constantly pleads for divine intervention is like the two-year-old toddler who, after every bump or bruise, cries and runs to mummy for her to kiss it and make it better. At some point the toddler needs to grow up and take responsibility for his life and well-being. He needs to make the transition from being a child to being a teenager and eventually to being an adult. He cannot continue to run to Mommy even as a fully grown, 50-year-old man. At some point Mommy stops kissing little Johnny's bumps and bruises too, because she knows that if she continues to do so then mentally and emotionally he will remain a child forever.
On a more comical note, let us not forget that God is already extremely busy. It must be hard work designing and constructing new galaxies and constellations and creating life in far-flung corners of the universe while simultaneously being on call 24-7 for all seven billion human inhabitants of the Earth and perhaps also for trillions of other strange and exotic creatures in galaxies scattered throughout the Universe.
While I am not discounting the value of prayer as a means of acknowledging and showing reverence to God, we cannot rely on this as a solution to our problems. While we should continue to pray, let us also focus on fixing our mess ourselves, thus proving to God that we are worthy, after all, of the brains, bodies and lives He gifted us with in the first place.
Handel Emery
handelemery@hotmail.com
50-y-o can't keep running to Mummy
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