In Chapter 1 of The Attentive Life, Leighton Ford discusses the death of his son Sandy during surgery to correct a life-threatening heart problem. The day prior to surgery, Leighton had a talk with God- or, as he puts it, an argument with God. As Sandy’s earthly father, Leighton would have healed his son if he’d had the ability to do so. He had a difficult time understanding why God wouldn’t physically heal Sandy.
There are no easy answers, the author states, as to why God’s attentions sometimes seem absent, while at other times aren’t welcome at all. At times events happen that are so horrific that silence is the only acceptable response. Clichéd or cheap answers do no good. Yet it is often in our darkest hours that God gets our attention and teaches us to pay attention. Mr. Ford goes on to describe why we don’t always welcome God’s attention:
“And it may be that sometimes we resent God’s attentions not so much out of a reasoned denial of his existence as from a deep instinctive refusal to conform to what we perceive as some kind of celestial busybody who tries to run everyone else’s affairs.”
In contrast, God is calling us to attention so that we’re not “lost in the cosmos” but “lost in wonder”.
Today’s question: How do you respond to Leighton Ford’s description of why we sometimes resent God’s attentions? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “The qualities of attentiveness”
