How powerful is karma or the law of cause and effect? In the Book of Prophecy (Ofudesaki), God says that sometimes he cannot change the effect of karma. The following concerns a parent asking for the health of a child.

You say that you wish to train the child for two or three more years.

But she is no longer in the hands of God. 1-60

Ponder well; however dear she may be to you, her parent,

She is no longer in the hands of God. This will not be realized. 1-61

Like the law of gravity, God cannot change the rules of nature. But like any law, the results are certain; like what goes up, must come down. It is also the same with karma. Good thoughts and behaviors result in joy, while evil thoughts and behaviors result in suffering. Karma sometimes gets a bad name for its negative effect and blame of the self; but it also explains why we have joy. We control our own destiny by our actions of today. What natural laws God has given us, no man can change; sometimes not even God can alter the effects of karma.   Remember, that no matter how much we suffer today, by our positive response to our suffering, we can create a joyous future.