I was listening to a classic rock playlist the other day while working and Sympathy for the Devil started playing. As I was listening to the lyrics, a thought popped into my head that I’m fairly certain I had never thunk before, “What about sympathy for God?”
We often look at God as this invisible mystery that we pray to and ask things of, but rarely do most of us take the time to contemplate all the things that God is in control of: all the people, animals, planets, stars, moons. I’m certainly glad that God is God and that I (or anyone else I know) am not.
During a time in my life where I began to feel like Job, often tempted by the outside world to give up and curse God, my faith was instead further strengthened. Being brought up in a Christian home, I always believed in the death and resurrection, and that, for most of my life, resonated only as Jesus’ sacrifice and Jesus’ suffering. But after May 2019, my understanding has shifted a bit.
As I sat in the hospital with my world crumbling around me, I understood as I had never understood before, and maybe all parents have this epiphany, but I began to perceive God’s sacrifice more deeply. In that moment, I would’ve easily chosen, if given the option, to die 3 different times to save my children - each time more painful and gruesome than the next. But, if given the option to save the entire world by sacrificing my children, I would’ve said “The world had a good run. Bye Felicia.”
God, when presented with that option, instead chose to save all of us contemptible A-holes who were and are completely undeserving of his perfect son. That’s it. I need nothing else to believe. Faith tested. Faith cemented.
So, every Easter from now on, while I reflect on the Son’s suffering, I will also reflect on that of the Father’s.
*I thought this was too short when I wrote it, but I checked the word count and 333 seems too fitting.
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