Of all that can be said of God,
to attribute the word ‘controlling’
strikes me as cruel and unusual.

I know “God is in control”
can serve as a bandage to angst,
a platitude to suffering,
and cover for disappointment –
but it’s meager benefits end there.
If your god is in control
of all war, disease, torture,
genocide and abuse –
then, you can have that god.

If your god sits in a high place
and orchestrates the demise,
denigration and despair of millions –
then, be my guest and bow the knee.

You will not find me
in naive adoration
of a deified monster
made in the image of despots.

Instead,
you will find me
praying in quiet grief
that for a holy moment
you might consider
how God might actually be
uncontrolling Love –
feeling and present,
without religious restraint,
through every unfolding,
mysterious and mixed-up moment
of this fantastically fragile life
and beyond.

Of All That Can Be Said
David Tensen