{"id":5822,"date":"2016-11-20T06:48:28","date_gmt":"2016-11-20T12:48:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/johnbeckett\/?p=5822"},"modified":"2016-11-19T15:03:16","modified_gmt":"2016-11-19T21:03:16","slug":"when-the-gods-just-dont-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/johnbeckett\/2016\/11\/when-the-gods-just-dont-care.html","title":{"rendered":"When the Gods Just Don\u2019t Care"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

You\u2019ve probably seen the Facebook meme that says \u201cJesus loves you. Odin wants you to grow the hell up.\u201d I think that\u2019s a little harsh. We all have limits, and we all have times when we just can\u2019t handle one more thing. There are times when we hope \u2013 and sometimes when we expect \u2013 Gods who we know and serve to help us out, to make it better, or at least to reassure us that it will all work out in the end.<\/p>\n

Sometimes They do that. And sometimes the Gods just don\u2019t care.<\/p>\n

Let me start with two disclaimers. First, there are many Gods, and some of them are Gods of caring and compassion \u2013 Quan Yin comes to mind. They always care, and they remind us that we should too. And second, if you think I\u2019m telling people with post-election stress to suck it up, go re-read my last two weeks of posts, especially this one<\/a>. This post is more general than that, although it can be relevant to dealing with the aftermath of the election for some of us.<\/p>\n

This is about what happens when a God or Gods asks or demands that you do something that seems impossible, impractical, or so unpleasant you absolutely do not want to do it. When you say \u201cI really can\u2019t do that\u201d and They respond \u201cjust do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perhaps this is a deity who\u2019s new to you and you\u2019re still negotiating the structure of your relationship. Or perhaps it\u2019s someone with whom you have a long, respectful, reciprocal relationship. You\u2019ve poured offerings and sung hymns to Them. You\u2019ve adopted Their values and you do your best to exemplify Their virtues. You\u2019ve been Their hands and done Their work in this world. Maybe you\u2019ve even experienced the ecstasy of Their intimate presence.<\/p>\n

And now They want this<\/em>? They want an offering that would be a significant sacrifice. They want a commitment that would reorder your life. Or, in my current situation, they have a deadline that while not impossible is extremely tight and is forcing me to move forward before I\u2019m fully prepared.<\/p>\n

What do you do when the Gods just don\u2019t care?<\/p>\n

\"03<\/a><\/p>\n

We have sovereignty even before the Gods<\/strong>. The answer is not unreflective submission. The Gods are mighty beings, but we are responsible for our own lives. The Gods have agency and will \u2013 They do what They do, for Their own reasons. Some times \u2013 most times \u2013 it\u2019s in our best interests to participate in Their work. But They do not always have our best interests at heart, and we have the right and the ability to say no.<\/p>\n

Sometimes this has repercussions, particularly if you\u2019ve already made open-ended promises. Most times, though, They\u2019ll move on and find someone else who will do it\u2026 and you may not hear from Them again. But not always\u2026<\/p>\n

I desperately wanted to be a priest of the Morrigan, but I could not give what She asked, so I told her no. She was absent from my life for months, then She came back with something else She wanted me to do. I still cannot be her priest, but the relationship has been restarted under terms I am happy to fulfill.<\/p>\n

Sometimes I think They ask for what They want even though They know They\u2019re not going to get it. I don\u2019t think Zeus really expects anyone to sacrifice bulls to Him, but He\u2019d still like to have them.<\/p>\n

If you cannot do what They ask, then offer what you can do. But once you make a commitment, keep your word, no matter what.<\/p>\n

Maybe it really is that important<\/strong>. Look at things from Their area of responsibility. Look at things through Their values and virtues. Look at things from a very long-term perspective. There are things more important than your comfort and convenience. There are things more important than your personal safety.<\/p>\n

In my own situation, I\u2019m reminded of a quote from General George Patton: \u201cA good plan, violently executed now, is better than a perfect plan next week.\u201d Substitute \u201caggressively and diligently\u201d for \u201cviolently\u201d since I\u2019m not engaging in actual warfare. I trust there\u2019s a good reason why this thing needs to be done now rather than, say, next Spring \u2013 even if I can\u2019t see that reason. Sometimes you have to dive in, get started, and figure it out as you go.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t buy the argument \u201cthe Gods are testing us.\u201d<\/strong> If They ask for something, then it\u2019s safe to assume They want it, even if They expect us to refuse. The only persons (and the Gods are persons, even though they\u2019re not people) who \u201ctest\u201d their friends and allies are the insecure, and the Gods do not suffer from insecurity.<\/p>\n

Now, there are plenty of stories of Gods who walked among mortals to test their hospitality, as Zeus and Odin were (and perhaps, still are) known to do. But seeing if people are living virtuously is a very different thing from tempting them to do something they shouldn\u2019t. Tempters are a feature of a different religion\u2026<\/p>\n

They\u2019re not sending us on impossible missions.<\/strong> If They ask you to do something, They think you can do it or They\u2019d find someone else to ask. Now, maybe They\u2019re wrong \u2013 They\u2019re not infallible. But it\u2019s far more likely They understand your situation and capabilities more clearly than you do. What you call impossible would often better be described as difficult and improbable, but doable with wisdom and determination.<\/p>\n

Except when They do.<\/strong> Commanding an army means putting people in harm\u2019s way. Attack a fortified position and you know some of your soldiers are going to die. Hopefully not many of them, or you\u2019ll lose the war from attrition. But if you have to storm the beaches of Normandy in order to retake France from the Nazis, then that\u2019s what you do.<\/p>\n

What will you die for, figuratively if not literally? If this isn\u2019t worth dying for, then re-read the first point, exercise your sovereignty, and say no.<\/p>\n

But perhaps this is too important to yield. Perhaps it means the world to you, or to someone who is dear to you. Perhaps the price of peace is your soul.<\/p>\n

And perhaps, even though the situation seems impossible, the wind\u2019s on our side and that\u2019s all we need.<\/p>\n