Dichotomy

The other day I had to switch my dental appointment. There didn't seem to be one available in the next few months, then suddenly the receptionist found one.

'That's God looking out for you,' she said, convinced in her faith.

I'm a Christian, and there was a time I would attribute any and all good happenings to God. Extra money, the successful completion of a University course, the health of a friend, a gift of a new refrigerator to replace my defunct one, etc.

While I believed then that all good things were of and from God, I wasn't a Satan blamer, unlike a friend who, without a flashlight or knowing where she was headed, slipped on the steps one rainy night, spraining her ankle. As we applied ice, she declared, 'the devil tripped me.'

Perhaps it was the lack of a flashlight that was the problem.

I figured then, and now, that we must take responsibility for ourselves, but these days, I wonder to what degree God really involves herself / himself in the nitty gritty of our lives. (Please don't comment on my acceptance that God may be female. It isn't relevant to this posting. If you feel the need, find a theology blog. )

Which leads me to... if I don't think God cares about the dentist, why do I still bother to pray, asking God to help friends and family, and seeking guidance for myself and my life, and just this morning, entreating help for a lost bracelet and our upcoming home purchase?

Someone once suggested that I ask the universe for help. I couldn't relate to that concept. Everytime I considered it, all I could envision was an old promo for the soap opera, 'As The World Turns.' Maybe my friend who asked the universe for help found it hard to relate to the concept of God.

I don't think this ramble has a conclusion, the thoughts are a work in progress, and the only thing that seems to settle with me at the moment is this:

No matter how much my thinking has shifted about God's involvement in the mundane, I would rather walk in the dark with God, than to go alone in the light.