god as father

i think everyone struggles with this... when bad things happen to people, we ask, "why?" more specifically, we hear things like, "why would God do this... he must have a reason and a plan." i have a problem agreeing with that...

there is a common belief/view where people see God as a sort of 'dictator'; a puppet-master, if you will. where every event is dictated by God himself; therefore, he must have a reason behind it.

there is another view that sees God as Father. the metaphor is simple; think about if you were a father (i can't relate to that very well...)... do you dictate every move you child makes? maybe while they are super-young, but eventually you want them to be able to make rational decisions for themselves, and to become self-sufficient.

in his book, "understanding God's will," kyle lake gives this example: if your son is going to college, you don't say, "you are going to this school and majoring in this." you support them and give them advice and help guide them, but ultimately you want them to choose their own path; hopefully a path that is going to lead them to a fulfilling, meaningful life. you teach them how to live, then let them live.

i see God as father, rather than dictator. i have a hard time believing that when a four-year-old girl gets cancer, or gets killed in an accident, it was 'God's will.' isn't God's will for us to have life to the fullest? when bad things like this happen, i believe that it is caused by our human-ness... we've messed things up; we've gotten out of the bounds that were created for us... we drive machines way too fast; we eat artificial crap that we shouldn't eat... etc., etc...

i feel like i've blogged about this before... my apologies if i have... the book i mentioned is excellent, by the way.