I feel abandoned by God
Part of us wants God to be our genie in a bottle: rub the bottle, and presto — God appears and fixes everything for us. Now that’s way too easy — and not too realistic! Fortunately, that’s not all we want.
Another part of us — a more mature and responsible part — wants a hand from God, but not a handout. That part wants to be responsible, and strives towards perfection. That part prefers to partner with God in the outworking of His will. It expresses our Divine genetics, our higher nature, our more sophisticated spiritual “instincts.”
As God’s child, you surely recognize those higher desires in yourself. And surely, in your heart and soul, you also know the following things as well — but it might help to be reminded of them anyway:
- We need Divine help, all right — but we actually have a lot more of it than we even recognize. The still small voice, for example, is our constant Divine companion. And, by the grace of Universe Processes, experiences from which we can learn constantly arise in our lives. What we need, then, is not so much more or better help. Rather, we need to improve our use of the help we’ve already got — so that we can make the best use of it.
- Most of our trials and tribulations we bring upon ourselves — and we can resolve ourselves. Surely, when a financially irresponsible man is evicted from his apartment, his misfortune is not Divine punishment — just the down-to-earth consequence of his failure to pay his rent. And yet, the more irresponsible he is, the more liable he is to think, “God must have it in for me.” Likewise, when the husband of an ill-tempered wife files for divorce, it is not Divine intervention; most likely, it reflects her husband’s despair about their prospects.
- Many of the clouds we see have bright silver linings. Within each challenge we face and each poor choice we make, God puts a silver lining: a wisdom-lesson, a growth opportunity. And the benefits of such help are amply evident: Many of the tribulations you have faced have made you a much better person, haven’t they? Probably, some of the difficulties you have faced have been the most beneficial experiences of your life.
Granted, you deserve a fair measure of credit for the constructive way you handled those situations. But the bright interpretations and sustaining insights that helped pull you through were indeed liberating sparks of Divine wisdom. In hindsight, you can surely see that the spiritual understanding and strength you gained were, in fact, great and valuable gifts of God — delivered to you via challenges and difficulties.
The challenges that come our way may not be sent by God directly — but He does provide the higher interpretations necessary to mine tons of spiritual gold out of our trials. As we learn the lessons brought by our difficulties, we actually come to appreciate the trials and tribulations that come our way. Yes! We should thank God for the valuable lessons we have learned from past troubles. And, while we’re at it, we may as well thank God for the valuable lessons we will learn from the troubles we now face — just as soon as we quit resisting those lessons.
By facing the consequences of our actions, and by learning the lessons of experience, we make most of our progress in happiness. Then, instead of shaking our faith in God, life challenges will inspire our gratitude to Him. So be it!