Replies

[ God doesn’t move us by telling us all the facts- God rather moves us along by pains and contradictions- He doesn’t give us all the answers, but rather a lack of understanding, that we may marvel ]

It is possible that "we" couldn't grasp "all the facts" even if we knew them, as humans.. Being satisfied with a few things that appear to be facts is maybe the test.. being satisfied with what we have, so to speak.. It is so easy to be "Not Grateful".. Gratitude is a rare commodity..

The man that had no shoes was wroth until he saw a happy man with no feet.. Same could be said "of sight".. What if you were blind.. Gratitude is a rare gift.. How grateful are you?.. Are you an American and not a Zimbabean, or Kenyan?... There is much to be grateful for..

[[Gratitude is a rare gift.. How grateful are you?..]]

That’s a sticky subject- While the man with no shoes may have been dissapoijted in his conditions until seeing the man with no feet- he still has the problems associated with not havign shoes- Am I dissappointed in how life has turned out for me? You betcha- Am I ungrateful to be alive? No- absolutely not- Am I thnakful thigns aren’t worse? Of course- but htis changes nothign about hte severity of the conditions I’ve had to endure- Would I change anything If I could? Sure, but that doesn’t mean I don’;t enjoy the opportunities illness has brought as well, and would probably miss them if htings were different after changing them if I could

[[Are you an American and not a Zimbabean, or Kenyan?... There is much to be grateful for..]]

Am I the King of Spain, or the world for that matrer? Nope-

I’m not complqining- but I’m also not goign to pretend thigns are grwat because ‘things could be worse’ either. I fully accept my particular situation, and accept that God is the potter, and no matter how bad thigns become, will trust in Him- but like Joni Erikson said, we can still love God while hating the terrible thigns in life that have happened to us because of original sin- it;’s not a sin to hate the effects of sin that have made our lives not so great- this isn’t how God wanted thigns to be- He wanted us all to be kigns of the world, not paupers and lame/blind/deaf/ crippled etc- we just weren’t smart enough to figure out what we were throwing away when we ate the apple

Indeed.

Man claims he wants justice. But he does not want what's coming to him.

Man claims he wants equality. But he does not want a per capita share of health, skill, beauty, power, intelligence and property. What he really wants is the same break as the next guy.

The parable in Matthew 20 is instructive on this very point and ends with this bit of wisdom:

Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? - Matthew 20:15

He is the Potter, we are the clay.

The earth [is] the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. - Psalms 24:1

Everything that we perceive, everything that we think we control - even our own spirits and bodies - are not ours, they are His, always have been, always will be.

Whatever freedom of choice or movement or faculties or facilities we have is a gift of God. We ought to be grateful for it and not compare our circumstance to others'.

To God be the glory, not man, never man!