Skip to main content

Makes Me Go "Hmmmm."


 When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future. (Ecclesiastes 7:14)

            When things are going well, be happy?  If you're like me, when things are going well, you might be tempted to think, "Uh oh." That might be part of what's going on in my head at the moment.  On my walk yesterday morning, I found myself thinking, "God, I think I'm going the way You want me to. I want to be going the way You want me to, but I'm afraid I'm not going the way You want me to." What's the problem? Nothing at all. Things are just going along, not too fast, not dramatic, just there. When there's nothing to be upset about, when there's nothing demanding my focus, I don't "be happy" - I be anxious because there's nothing there.
            When times are bad... the obvious parallel is "be sad," but that's not what God says. He says "When times are bad..." think.  I like that. I like to think and right now, times are bad enough around me that there is plenty to think about. What are we to consider? God makes both good times and bad times. God, who loves us. God, who created us for His glory and enjoyment. That being the case, what are we to think about bad times? If He made the bad times to destroy us, then how will we continue to bring Him glory or enjoyment? If He has made both, then both are under His control. They will only last as long as He chooses for them to, so now is not a means by which we can discover anything about later. That narrowed vision that I tend to get when things are bad, the one that says that now is unending, is wrong.
           Wait a second, doesn't knowing that bad times will end make us happy, even in the bad times?  Sort of makes me go "Hmmm." (my thinking noise.)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Higher Thoughts

  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the  Lord . “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)           The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments,   for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord      so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (I Corinthians 2:15-16) If you read about the ancient gods of the various peoples, you’ll find that they think just like people. In fact, they think just like the sort of people we really wouldn’t want to be around. They think like the most corrupt Hollywood producer or, like hormone overloaded teens with no upbringing.   It’s embarrassing to read. I have a friend who argues that because God is not just like us, He is so vastly dif...

Think About These Things

                 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8) This passage is a major challenge for me. Like everyone else, I struggle to keep my thoughts from wandering off into the weeds, then wondering what possible benefits those weeds might have… Sigh. But as a writer, I have to delve at least a little into the ignoble, wrong, impure, unlovely, and debased. After all, there’s no story if everything’s just as it should be and everyone’s happy. As Christians, there are times when we need to deal with all the negatives, but that makes it even more important that we practice turning our minds by force of attention to what is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. It’s just too easy to get stuck in a swamp. With my...

A Virgin?

           Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)           This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18)           But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”            “How will this be,” Mary asked the...