A friend recently took a bad spill in the shower, broke a couple of ribs, strained a knee and tore a meniscus. It sounds awful. Her take on it has led to my comments below. What she said that got me thinking was that she was getting a little spiritually complacent (my word) so God had to "whack" (her word) to get her attention.
My response to her is this:
"God disciplines us as He chooses but a spill in the bathtub isn't His way. That's punishment not discipline. He can use, however, any circumstance to draw us to Him. I fear religious types attribute everything that happens in life to God. I guess if you're a Calvinists that fits because they believe everything is in His sovereign plan. I say...never mind what I say about that. There are plenty of things He doesn't have anything to do with but when people need a rationale, or don't understand how something can be, they give God the credit. Some say, "Boy, God sure loves us. He gave us a beautiful day for our picnic." but they never say, "God sure hates us. He sent rain to ruin our picnic." You've got to be consistent when crediting things to God. God doesn't send rain or sunshine to show us He loves us, or that we are in His favor. I don't think He's got anything to do with the weather.Whatever the weather is, it's good for some and bad for others. The farmers love it but the picnickers hate it. I also don't think He ought t get all the credit for every problem we face. Our trials demonstrate the nature of our character, not His. James says all good gifts are from God and a broken rib and torn up knee are not good gifts. They are accidents that happen, not for a reason, but because accidents happen. God can use them, however, even though He doesn't will them to us or enjoy the pain they produce in us. Instead of saying God did this so He could teach me something or stop me from going somewhere, why not say Satan did it because he hates you? Or best, you did it because you slipped. Christians operate on way too much dogma, not truth, and I see what you said as classic dogma, even though you are sincere and believe what you say. The key is that you can choose to use the circumstance to gain intimacy with Him, and to be more careful in the shower. Sorry you asked? Jack "
I think I'm right, but I often do. How about you?
What Matters About Me
- Jack C. Getz
- I am who I am, not what I have done. For those who care about pedigree, I have little more than being a former public school teacher and a pastor/denominational adminstrator. The following insights come from a couple of tests I took. They may explain why I am a Contrarian and why I decided to do a blog about it. The first test is a standardized personality profile. The second is something strange called a Brain Type test! 1)“Jack lives outside traditional boundaries and ahead of the curve. When others focus on limitations, Jack creates new possibilities and ideas. He is a doer, not just a dreamer. Well grounded in reality, logic and analytical thinking. He enjoys meeting and working with other creative and ambitious people...a fearless leader. Only 3-5% of U.S. population has these qualities.” 2) Jack's Intellectual Type is Word Warrior. This means he has exceptional verbal skills. He can can easily make sense of complex issues and takes an unusually creative approach to solving problems. His strengths also make him a visionary. Even without trying he's able to come up with lots of new and creative ideas. (Like blogging as Contrarian?)
This challenges common ideas about the purpose of praying. Not a rehash of old dogma.
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