Using Life's Challenges for Spiritual Awakening

People flocked to churches, synagogues and mosques after the attacks of September 11th because they needed the solace of faith and connection with others in a religious setting. They had many questions about God and there weren't a lot of easy answers. Of course, as we've all heard by now, there are some who believe God allowed this tragedy to happen because we "brought it on ourselves." But for those of us who are less certain, the questions continue.

In the first place, what or who is God? Where was He when all this happened? To what degree does God actually play a role in our lives or did He just get life started a very long time ago and hoped we would eventually figure out how to get along with one another? What does it mean when we ask God to bless America? Are we implying that God should not bless others? Where were all the angels that people have increasingly talked about in recent years? Why didn't they stop the highjackers before they flew planes into buildings or did they only help the rescuers after the attack?

I, and others who write for Support4Change, don't believe we have a clear answer to any of these questions, but we do believe it is important to ask them. We also believe that in a world filled with uncertainly, it is essential to understand how we can use life's challenges for spiritual awakening.