Tuesday, October 18, 2005

Lucky duck

So, given my vast amounts of time to think combined with my own life observations and experiences, I have come to a conclusion. I believe there is such a thing as luck. Some people have good luck and some people have bad luck, and it can vary throughout life. I don't care if this isn't popular theology. I don't care. :::ppppphhhhhsssssssttttt::: :) I swear sometimes I've turned into one of those 85 year old women who doesn't care what anyone else thinks. I'm sick and onery, dangit! Heehee!

Also speaking of theology I'm having trouble swallowing (and probably related), more and more I am turned off by the way people use the word "blessed." Here are some examples and my commentary:
  • "Oooh! The tornado didn't hit my house! I am so blessed!" Yeah, so what about your neighbor whose house was smashed? They weren't chosen by God for your special blessings?
  • "I'm sure God will bless you with healing very soon." So... if I'm not healed I'm not blessed by God?
  • (on the Amazing Race) "God, please bless us and help us get to the next pit stop before the other teams." Okay, so you winning has nothing to do with your own and others' ability to read a map or by sheer luck?
I'm sure this is probably an age old struggle that many have felt, but now I'm feeling it and it's my blog and I need to vent it out. We... we being our society or modern Christianity or America or whoever... equates blessings with happiness. I think that's pretty stupid. Would we call Jesus' ministry "unblessed" because he had a rather rough going of it? There's a great Caedmon's Call line that says, "But I get turned around/ I mistake some happiness for blessing/ But I'm blessed as the poor/ Still I judge success by how I'm dressing." (Faith My Eyes)

I'm not coming down on people who say things like "God bless you." A sincere one of those always means a lot. But ya never know what you're asking for when you say it. :)

Conversation Snippet of the Day:

Ann: oh, i still think God is good, i just don't think that means we get good lives (necessarily).

Meredith: oh definitely not. our lives on earth are pretty much crappiness incarnated.

3 comments:

Mark and Kelly said...

I've noticed a trend among some theology grad students and professors--they sign their e-mails "blessings, [name here]" I have to admit, I'm tempted to adopt it, but I'm still thinking about what it means. It is a welcome change from "love, [name]" (which is what I still use), and it's more understated than "In Him" or "God Bless, [name]". Any thoughts?
Also, when we studied in Germany, some of our friends would, very sincerely, witness to God's blessings by telling of times when they had prayed to not miss a train bound for Milan and, with "God's help," they had caught it just in time. Hmm...I always thought God had better things to do with his time, but maybe that's casting God in humankind's image...just because I wouldn't spend my time doing that if I were God:) What do you think? Okay, this is long enough.

Blessings, Kelly
(eh? What do you think?)

Jason Fry said...

I'm with you on this one. Blessings don't equal happiness. And while we're at it, I hate it when people quote Romans 8:28 to say "it'll all be OK." It will all be OK, but it may still suck quite a bit between now and then. I bet Joseph felt pretty blessed in that cistern, or in jail for a crime he didn't commit, but he ended up in a place to help his family as a result of all of those "blessings." I probably got blessed to leave Walnut, or to work full time for 50% of what I need to support my family. Heck, you're probably being blessed with all of your GI troubles. Nobody guaranteed blessings would be fun.
How about this?
Fun blessings,
Jason

Anonymous said...

No pain no gain..

-Ash