“… God alone loves us unconditionally. Even when we turn away from Him or ignore Him, He silently waits for us.” — Sri Daya Mata, IN SWEET COMPANY: CONVERSATIONS WITH EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN ABOUT LIVING A SPIRITUAL LIFE

Since the devastation in Japan began, the word on some streets is that Mother Nature is pretty ticked off about the way we’ve been treating Her. Human beings have a long history of believing that God punishes us for our sins. We anthropomorphize God — arrogantly believe that our Deity responds to error with the same indignation and judgment we do. Our understanding of the Divine Feminine has historically been tainted by accusations of subversion and witchcraft. When misperception permeates our belief system, we blame what befalls us on an angry, uncaring God. 

A friend of a friend of a friend sent me an email from a woman in Sendai that details her experience living in the aftermath of the earthquake. Tremors occur every 15 minutes. Sirens and helicopters are constant, yet she writes of strangers leaving food and water on her doorstep; that there is no looting though people leave their front doors open so they can dash outside in an aftershock. She eats by candlelight; shares stories with others; sleeps in a single room with tens of strangers — peacefully so. Everyone helps each other in ways they never did before.

I’ve also received emails from organizations I collaborate with expressing their heartfelt sympathy and concern for the Japanese people. I’ve read a few articles that mention how governments are making noise about reassessing nuclear proliferation. People of all races and religions are turning to the God of their hearts in prayer. Though this is not everyone’s experience, it’s quite a different picture that what we see on the news and fear in our hearts

Divine Love is a vast and mysterious thing. It is often through suffering that we come to know how much we are loved and how to really love others. When there is tragedy — disaster, violence and abuse — every one of us longs to turn to a loving Someone and feel understood, taken care of, and restored. That we can and do suffer with our Japanese brothers and sisters, that we reach out to them is evidence that the human spirit is evolving to a higher level of consciousness, a deeper understanding of the Divine Feminine, of Her compassion and care in the midst of our deepest sorrows. When we stop blaming God for what happens to us and we turn toward Her we transcend the pain and suffering that is part of this world.

Your thoughts?