On the first Sunday of Advent the reading from Isaiah described the various emotions and stages we go through in dealing with grief. I was looking for a tool to help express these stages and help the listeners, especially our children, identify the various stages and see which one was the proper attitude.
I decided to write a series of letters to God which described each of the emotions and stages. It was fun and it very effective with the young people. I was surprised at how easily the young people were able to decide which emotions were good and which were not. I decided to write a series of such letters to God and to include God's response.
This letter to God was one of the suggested letters that was rejected by the children. I did not include a name on the original letters.
Dear God
Please do not be upset with me. I have caused you so many problems. I can’t seem to do anything right. Even my good deeds are polluted by my greed and lust. I do deserve your punishment. Nothing will be right until you punish me! Guilty
Dear Guilty,
Somewhere along the line you seem to have missed the point. There is nothing you can ever do which will cause me to stop loving you or make me want to punish you.
You seem willing enough to believe that I can and do forgive your sins but that is as far as you seem to want to go. For every sin you would like me to punish you. Even when you do not sin and something bad happens you ask what have I done wrong so that I am punishing you? Even then you carry around a huge amount of guilt. That guilt is the one thing that most stands in the way of us having a good relationship.
If I had to worry about proper punishment for every sin ever committed, I would have no time to love anyone. Can you imagine what that would do to me? It is much easier for me if I simply forget everything the sin, the punishment, the guilt. Please try to understand that. I know your legal system demands punishment and retribution but that’s your system not mine! I simply want you to know I love you whatever you do or fail to do. GOD
Below is the cover. It lists the various emotions God addresses.
Dear Dreary Struggling Angry Confused Anxious Hopeful Caught Lonely Don’t Know Worried Miserable Guilty Wrong Hurting Little Bit Hanging No Progress Not At Peace Unsure Exhausted Anyone