Some folk learned the nature of God, that He was merciful, having spared a husband or some cattle, that He was strict, having meted out hard punishment for small sins, that He was attentive, having sent signs of the hunger beforehand, that He was just, having sent the hunger in the first place, or having sent the whales and the teeming reindeer in the end. Some folk learned that He was to be found in the world-in the richness of the grass and the pearly beauty of the Heavens, and others learned that He could not be found in the world, for the world is always wanting, and God is completion. Jane Smiley
About This Quote

J.R.R. Tolkien said in "The Hobbit" that “Some folk learned the nature of God, that He was merciful, having spared a husband or some cattle, that He was strict, having meted out hard punishment for small sins, that He was attentive, having sent signs of the hunger beforehand, that He was just, having sent the hunger in the first place, or having sent the whales and the teeming reindeer in the end.” Tolkien is saying that Christians learn to be good people because they know God is good and is present in all aspects of life. Gods presence can be found in tiny details such as seeing a herd of deer running through a field before there is a famine. It can also be found in great events such as seeing a whale being born from a sea monster or a woman giving birth to a son. In the end though, God is always present and wants to guide us.

Source: The Greenlanders

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