Why are you surprised they're surprised?

When most people look at a sunset or the ocean or a tree or a child, they think of how amazing God is. The natural world proclaims His artistic ability so magnificently that it routinely moves people to weep in joy. This is why so many of them feel connected to God when they visit nature.

But when these same people look at an earthquake or a piranha or a cancer cell or maggots, they rarely think of how amazing God is. In fact, if they ponder these things, they often find themselves doubting either His goodness or even His very existence.

Clearly, one of the most confounding aspects of God is that some of His acts in this world look exquisitely beautiful while others look monstrously awful. But if that’s true, then it should really come as no surprise that, as we draw closer to Him, our ideas and behavior will sometimes look virtuous and sometimes look vile to a world that couldn’t comprehend God long before it couldn’t comprehend His followers.