the Universal laws that serve happiness and evolution.

the Inner Voice through which God encourages us to do good things and patiently teaches us higher values and Divine wisdom.

the good features of creatures -- sensitivity, goodwill, inspiration, self-sacrifice, self-transcendence. (Even though people deserve credit for cultivating their good qualities, the qualities themselves are gifts of God.)

Problem: We blame God for the considerable suffering that really comes from mankind's wrongful use of free will.

God, why do you allow human beings to treat each other so badly? This world is full of racial hatred, economic imbalances, human rights abuses. You're all-powerful; why don't You DO anything to stop all this? You must not care!

Solution: None of the aberrant acts of man -- such as war, cruelty, etc. -- should be considered God's fault. They are the results of human choices. Free will is one of God's greatest gifts, and He will not rescind it even to prevent misdeeds. Therefore, He cannot protect us from the repercussions of our own or others' wrongdoing.

Lord, we cause so much pain for ourselves and others by not harmonizing our will with Yours. But You care about us so much that You patiently let us learn from our choices by experiencing their consequences. Meanwhile, I know that You feel our pain and suffer along with us when we suffer.

Problem: By being personally irresponsible, or by being responsible for creating negative effects, we have caused ourselves much pain. And yet often we blame that suffering on God.

My wife left me, my children don't want to see me, and my friends all say it is my fault. My life is miserable. God, why have You forsaken me?

Solution: God does not punish or condemn us for being irresponsible. He simply allows us to experience the consequences of irresponsibility so that we can learn to take better responsibility in the future. Because blame always accompanies irresponsibility, we must live responsibly before we can truly forgive God for what WE did.

God, You were right. My inner voice TOLD me to give my wife and children more love and attention when we were together. I ignored it, and now I'm sorry, because they're gone. Thanks for trying to warn me. Perhaps, if I had loved my wife and children as You would have me love, I would not have lost them. Maybe if I change my ways, there's hope for us still!

Example: You find a wonderful couch at a bargain price at your neighbor's yard sale. You rush home to get some money. By the time you get back, another person has purchased it. Now: Did God object to you having that couch? No; someone else wanted it, and she bought it!

Through tremendous effort, a girl lands a job as a receptionist in the office of a handsome, wealthy bachelor. Her dream is that once they meet, he will fall in love with her and marry her. Disappointingly, the marriageable executive takes no special notice of his new receptionist. He has many other pretty girls to choose from. Maybe she should have thought of that.

A man invests all his money in souvenirs to sell at sporting events. However, he overlooked the fact that his competitors had the resources to buy the same items in larger quantities and resell them at prices he couldn't possibly match. So, when he comes on the scene, they simply lower their prices enough to put him out of business.

Problem: Sometimes we refuse God's gifts even when they are obviously beneficial.

God, when will I find the man of my dreams? Tom would make someone a very good and loving husband, but I just can't marry someone shorter than me! So here I am, waiting for someone who is RIGHT in every way!

Solution: God's most obviously beautiful gifts invite us to live up to the glorious opportunities they offer. We should accept them happily, trusting that God will not give us gifts we can't handle or don't deserve.

God, You gave a great chance to take the job in my uncle's business. But I turned it down three times -- and now he won't have me. My pride got in the way. Next time opportunity knocks, I will give it a chance.

Problem: Among the greatest and most enduringly valuable gifts of God are those delivered via challenges and difficulties. God does not create challenges to teach us lessons, but He helps us make good use of the challenges we naturally encounter in life. The trouble is, people can be quite lazy when it comes to facing challenges, and quite stubborn in refusing to learn from experience.

God, my friends are SO intolerant! It seems like every time I lose my temper, my friends avoid me.

Solution: By facing the consequences of our actions, and by learning the lessons of experience, we make most of our progress in happiness. Then we begin to cherish the trials and tribulations that come our way.

Thank you for teaching me to control my temper, and that relationships need nurturing and constructive communication in order to thrive. My friendships are all deeper and sweeter since I learned this invaluable lesson, and started applying it.

Many of the clouds we see have bright silver linings. God can't prevent our trials and tribulations, but within each challenge we face, and each poor choice we make, God puts a silver lining: a wisdom-lesson, a growth opportunity. That's why people often say of a difficulty that became a turning point in their life, "Oh, that difficult situation was the best thing that ever happened to me." And everyone has observed how catastrophes inspire people to work together better than they ever would, otherwise, and bring out their best, most heroic qualities.

Thanks for all of your gifts today. I thank you for your more obvious blessings, and also for the blessings hidden in the challenges and difficulties of my life. In hindsight, I realize that losing my old job was the best thing that ever happened to me. It was a dead end anyway, and the people at my new job appreciate me so much better.

Problem: Often we miss the benefit of God's silver lining because we fail to look for it and make use of it. When we react to problems we see, or jump to habitual conclusions, a challenging experience only reinforces our suffering instead of helping us expand and grow through it.

I cannot forget the faces of those sick, homeless children I saw on the street. I feel depressed and overwhelmed by the senseless suffering of this world.

Solution: If we open our hearts and minds, and ask God how to understand the things we see and experience, God will show us the silver lining within them.

God, when I saw the suffering of those children, my heart was flooded with compassion, and I felt the urgency of doing everything I can to comfort those who suffer, and of trying my best to solve the human problems I encounter. Thank You for lighting that fire in my heart!

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Wrongly blaming God for the suffering of the world.

Failure to appreciate God's gifts because we fail to recognize or accept them (both obviously positive gifts, and also the growth-producing opportunities and lessons of challenges).