That ain’t God. That’s the effects of trauma and pain working against us in favor of itself and the ones who harmed us.
Do you see how dumb that sounds?
It’s nonsensical and antithetical to God’s heart to suggest that these experiences were sent as positives.
Just stop.
But seeing this today deeply bothered me. We’ve got to stop glorifying pain.
God calls us to community, to hope and to healing. God reminds us that God’s intention was always for us to flourish and be well. Healing brings us back to that.
These are valid questions and those who ask them of God are right to do so.
The danger is when folks try to answer for God. That’s how you get things like the original post.
There’s nothing that will justify the presence of pain+trauma in our lives. Think about what you’ve gone through.
What can you hear that’ll make you say “Okay. I get it now”? Nothing.
But “why did this happen to me” is not my posture. “What do I need in order to heal and move on” is where I land these days.
Because that empowers and shifts the focus.
💕
This is exactly why we must ungender God.
Ascribing maleness to God enables these dangerous theological positions and it insulates men from critique/accountability for their own actions.
God is neither male or female. God is God.
And that’s all I’ll say for free.