People Make Mistakes

God cannot be life and at the same time send sickness.

God cannot be love and at the same time do something in anger.

God cannot be a protective presence and at the same time will accidents. . .

This is completely against God energy, which is whole.

 ~Eric Butterworth

Our teens focused on this quote in Reflection this week. They were asked to interpret what they thought it meant. Earlier in the week we saw quotes from the teens about understanding a loving God. 

As our week comes to a close- and we move on to a new quote, Ms.Eckhouse shared a personal story in Reflection about a former student. 

"Sara was a high school student I'd had a long time ago. One night, she and some friends were out driving, and they got into a terrible car crash.  It was rainy and slippery out-- all but one of the girls made it out of the crash. Sara died that night."

A student stopped Ms.Eckhouse's story to ask a poignant question-- 

"Was she drunk?"

"No-- they weren't drinking. They were just driving during a bad storm, and maybe a bit too fast. We've all done that. If you've ever rushed somewhere-- you've done that. It was a mistake. It wasn't malicious or thought-out. It was just... girls who wanted to get home after a bad storm" 

"Oh... so it was a mistake." 

"Yes." 

We, as humans, are imperfect. We miss the mark often. It is important to ultimately own these mistakes and not displace blame. Blame is what hinders and stifles spiritual growth.

If we own our mistakes, we can learn and grow from the experience. Only then, can we nurture an acceptance of God, as a loving, merciful, and guiding Presence. 

We often blame God for these tragedies when really, it's human error. God does not decide to take people from our lives. God is not a taker; God is a giver.

God does not call us home-- God welcomes us home.