C.S. Lewis: “We
were promised sufferings. They were part of the program. We were even told,
'Blessed are they that mourn,' and I accept it. I've got nothing that I hadn't
bargained for. Of course it is different when the thing happens to oneself, not
to others, and in reality, not imagination.” ― A Grief Observed
I have been under a false assumption my whole adult
life: God is here to protect me from trouble. To be perfectly honest, I thought
train-wrecks were for other people, not for me. Somewhere inside of me, I genuinely
thought I was special, and God would skip that stuff in my life. I know – it sounds
pretty bad to come out and say it.
Jesus told his followers that trouble was coming, and
that he was going to die. He concluded by saying: I have told you these things, so that in me you may
have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I
have overcome the world.
Paul said: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who
comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any
trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
I know
people who gave up on God when trouble came. I also know people who dug in and got closer. Now that I’m here, I can see it’s purely a decision I need to make myself.
God is leaving it up to me. That’s why it’s called “testing”. I hope I accept His comfort, and I can be fit to help others.
God, I apologize for thinking I was somehow better than the rest of the world. I’m not.
There have been some long and sleepless nights looking at a hospital ceiling wondering why the train left the tracks. It was a choice to stay the course and walk into and through the wreck so that I could better understand the hurt of others. Yes, I too thought the Christian missionary was indestructible and granted special protection...what a silly idea. If the God of the universe can be hung on a cross then I better expect POO POO is going to happen. It does… and the surprise...you get to be in the middle of it.
ReplyDeleteWOW, I do not like the attitude adjustment tool. Keep at it Troy. You already are fit or broken just right so the cracked pot will put the water in the spot God needs it.
It always comes back to yin and yang, doesn't it.
ReplyDelete