“So the woman said to Elijah, ‘Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.’” 1 Kings 17:24
For many people of faith, like the woman in the Elijah story, it is difficult to eliminate the notion that our sin causes our suffering. Because randomness is difficult to accept, someone must be blamed for suffering and death in the world. Because a good God who loves us would not allow us to experience pain and death, suffering must be our responsibility. God gives life because God is generous and God takes life because we are selfish sinners. The second half of that equation continues to cause much heartache and confusion. Elijah restores the woman’s son to life and the equation is reversed. God promises life, but suffering and death happen because we are finite creatures. We die because we are human, not because we sin.
