The weather phenomenon known as El Niño has caused destruction in Florida and California, and disrupted normal weather patterns throughout the United States. Because of all the news stories and references to this name, people are thinking of it as more than just a band of warm water in the Pacific. I recently heard of a man named Al Nino who had received several irate phone calls: the callers had mistaken his name for El Niño, and somehow thought they could talk to the weather system itself to complain!
Of course, this is not the first time motives have been attributed to an inanimate force. The National Weather Service routinely assigns names to hurricanes and tropical storms, and there have been headlines to the effect that "Hurricane Agnes Targets Miami" or "[Tropical Storm] Hector Changes Mind, Veers East". However, hurricanes normally last only a few weeks. El Niño has been around for almost a year, providing ample opportunity to solidify its image as some capricious Storm King.
In primitive times no one knew what caused storms, so it was natural for them to imagine gods blowing the air around or casting thunderbolts like spears. Today we know that there are scientific explanations; but science can tell us only how weather is generated, not why. So we still personalize these occurrences in an attempt to deal with forces beyond our control. When things go bad it's somehow more comforting to "blame it on El Niño".
Personalization is not limited to weather. We also talk about "Lady Luck" or "the hand of Fate". Sailors think of their ships as temperamental, going where directed or not as it pleases them. Motorists sometimes call their cars stubborn or lazy if they fail to start. And what pet owner has not observed human characteristics in their favorite (or not-so-favorite) animals? We seem to see ourselves in anything that is the least bit unpredictable. (What does that say about our relationships with actual people?)
Those of us who believe that God created us in His own image have a different perspective. We see phenomena such as El Niño not as individual personalities, but as an expression of God's creation -- based on a plan so vast we cannot comprehend it except in small doses. Weather phenomena do not have minds or motives; rather, they serve part of the Creator's purpose, reminding us that nothing in life is certain without Him. (Having said that, I admit I may still refer to things as if they were persons. It's far less dangerous to blame El Niño for the weather than to blame God!)