Saving Belief

“Every sparrow is an individual, unlike every other; and the special thing God makes in that sparrow is the product of all the special circumstances concurrent in her production. Most of us have little insight into the singularity of sparrows. We can do better with the human case. For you to be what you are involves a universe; and if your being what you are is the work of God, then an infinity of events was under His hand. It was His skill to draw you out of the genetic pattern of your ancestry, the culture of your time, and the complex of relationships surrounding you. This is not to deny that had your ancestors been more temperate, your parents wiser, your teachers more conscientious and your school-fellows not such little beasts, you would have been a better person than you are. Yet, such as you are, God made you; and the supreme prerogative of the divine art is to draw good even from evil. Not a greater good, no; we do not help God to produce better things by offering Him worse materials. But what He makes is always a unique good. You are you, and no one just like you. The defects, as well as the advantages, of your background have gone into the composition of the mixture.”
~Austin Farrer