Just Didn't Get It

Ever know people who just didn’t realize how bad their situation was? It is more typical to see one’s situation as worse than it is, and I plead guilty. But some people always seem to have some bad-going-on-horrible thing happening yet still talk about how good God is.

Well I have some cousins like that. I won’t reveal any family secrets here but … come on … divorce, financial trouble, sickness, and even death. You guessed it … God is so good. These cousins are the sweetest, kindest people on earth but let’s get serious here. I’ve considered myself a Christian for some time now too, but in the face of things I just had to throw in a tad bit of reality. You guys are just not firing on all cylinders. Sure I’d smile and say “Yes He sure is,” but to my thinking they were at least one pickle short of a jar. I enjoy a positive attitude as much as the next guy, but there must be a line that can’t be crossed and these people just were not playing with all fifty-two cards.

When will I ever learn that when I think I’m right, it’s probably a sure sign I’m wrong. I just received a peek at how, in the face of serious problems, God can not only help you through it, but give you joy and reveal loads and tons of insight into His goodness and greatness and faithfulness. See, I always thought that when God helped, it meant that the bad stuff didn’t happen. If the bad stuff happened then God had been blocked somehow from helping. I guess I thought that the devil was quite tricky and could outsmart God somehow. Or maybe I thought that it was me (always more than possible) not enough faith … that kind of thing. It never dawned on me that God could just let it happen because it was the only way this thick-headed, proud, self-sufficient knuckle head could ever in this life time understand. Not just me either, usually others are involved and have their own path to blessing. Quite efficient when you think of it. Many people blessed from one horrible event.

People who know and trust God intimately never make any sense to the rest of us who don’t. They seem unrealistic, superstitious, naïve, even somewhat crazy. I see those cousins differently now. I was the one short a card or two. I actually brought a Rummy deck to a Pinochle tournament. From now on, when someone seems too thankful, too grateful, and just too trusting of God; instead of being secretly critical, I’m going to find out what kind of “game” they are playing and try to join in. Because God’s deck does not contain the ordinary number of cards and his rules are completely different than ours.

Can we cause our own trouble? I think we often do. Does this somehow cancel the blessing of God? Surprisingly, it seems to not matter with God . Our peace and joy is internal not external. It comes from within not from outside. That is what makes a Christian such an “over comer”. You can’t beat him. He can even be blessed through his own stupidity. Even killing him won’t work … the great escape. So you have to torture him here to have any chance of making him miserable. And even then, if he starts trusting and relying on God it only makes him stronger and more blessed. This is almost hilarious. I’m getting down right joyful just thinking about it.

Please excuse me, I have to go roll on the floor and laugh out loud now, so see you later.

by BigHugeThing