by Melissa Raissa

Created on: January 21, 2011

The question is somewhat of a contradiction for me since, I believe, God is inside of every person. And if God exists within each of us, we are therefore both our own person and an extension of God. In other words, putting our trust in the "right" people is also a way of putting our trust in God who created and, consequently, sent the person to us in our time of need. I'd like to emphasize on the "right" people or person because not everyone we meet is going to be good for us. But it has been my experience that whenever I feel lost, I meet or I'm already with someone whose capable of enlightening me, an unexpected yet trusted messenger.

Being a Catholic, I often wonder if God truly exists. Or is God something we make up to represent all things good and just in a world where justice and compassion is in short supply. People talk about him as if he were a person, probably because it's said we are made in His image and likeness. Some claim they hear what God has to say to them through prayer or meditation. Some see dreams or visions and believe it to be God. I've never had any of those. What I do have, is a conscience - something I've always wondered about. How come our conscience can tell us what is the right thing to do, and when did all of us come to an understanding of what is right and wrong. Was it already there ever since we were born? Or simply learned from the life experiences that we have.

For all of us to have an idea and appreciation of goodness, to me, is a manifestation of God living inside each of us. Yes, not all people are made equal. We have shortcomings and we can be cruel in various levels. But, we can also be compassionate and capable of good works whether great or small. It all depends on our choices. The Bible speaks of us being given freewill, which I think acts sort of like a disclaimer to let preachers off the hook about all the things that go wrong in our lives and in the world. As if to say, "Yes, God is good but it all depends on the lifestyle you have or the people you surround yourselves with". "God loves all of us, yes, but He can't save us from the consequences of our choices." And so forth.

Crimes, wars, diseases, natural disasters and other human atrocities are believed by some to be God's work as well. He commands the universe, after all, so why couldn't he control people within it and all the natural elements. Why not strike the criminals down with lightning or place them in a car accident, at least? Why not stop the floods

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