{"id":15427,"date":"2020-08-06T17:47:27","date_gmt":"2020-08-06T17:47:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/iamsignificant.ca\/andre\/?p=15427"},"modified":"2020-08-11T20:37:12","modified_gmt":"2020-08-11T20:37:12","slug":"god-gives-but-doesnt-share","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iamsignificant.ca\/andre\/sole-significance\/god-gives-but-doesnt-share\/","title":{"rendered":"“God gives but doesn’t share”"},"content":{"rendered":"

This little saying was in my inbox the other morning. \u00a0It is a snippet from Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder<\/a><\/span><\/span>,<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0the story\u00a0about a person named Paul Farmer and his work in Haiti, Peru, Cuba and Russia. Farmer is a physician and medical anthropologist spending his career working to improve healthcare for some of the poorest folks in the world.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the book, the question of suffering and why God allows it was asked of a group of poor Haitians. \u00a0They responded with a Haitian proverb.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBondye konn bay, men li pa konn separe.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

It translates literally to \"God gives but doesn't share.<\/strong>\" \u00a0From the perspective of these people it simply means that God has provided everything that people need to flourish however, it is our responsibility to share it equitably<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

A potential response<\/h2>\n

There are a few significant themes here - the source of suffering, the role of God in suffering, and human responsibility in it. It is interesting the way these intertwine - specifically the connection between suffering and the reluctance of people to love (share).\u00a0If we were to examine many common kinds of suffering in the world we would probably find this connection more often than we\u2019d care to admit.<\/span><\/p>\n

God is not<\/strong> the source of suffering by way of an act of will or permissive will. \u00a0God is uncontrolling by the nature of their character of love. \u00a0However, the God-who-loves encourages us and works with and through us to affect the best possible outcomes. Through creation the God-who-loves provides the things that humanity requires to flourish and inspires us towards love. \u00a0An example of love is sharing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Our capacity to become love is enlarged as we lean into the Spirit, and we become a catalyst, inspired by the Spirit of Love to actively serve in ways that reduce suffering. \u00a0A truly embodied love inspired response to the evil of suffering.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

The big picture<\/h2>\n

As we become love or if you will Christ-like by the work of the Spirit we not only experience our own personal transformation but become a part of the transformation of creation contributing to the Kingdom project of 'on earth as it is in Heaven.'<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This little saying was in my inbox the other morning. \u00a0It is a snippet from Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder,\u00a0\u00a0the story\u00a0about a person named Paul Farmer and his work in Haiti, Peru, Cuba and Russia. Farmer is a physician and medical anthropologist spending his career working to improve healthcare for some of the poorest folks in the world. In Continue Reading<\/a>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":15430,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[33],"tags":[58,71,155,167,172,179,215,246,482,534],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n