God has never left you.........

 


 I truly wonder sometimes why, when I look around me and see the goodness of One who has given me so much to be thankful, that there are those who feel that what is here just "happened," and that to believe in a Diety is something akin to insanity. A Facebook  friend of mine posted a sweet, heartfelt prayer today,  asking God to keep all safe from the influenza outbreak that really has taken over the nation. (This is no ordinary flu bug, it is a pandemic, similar to the outbreak of the Spanish influenza of 1917.) Many have died who are elderly, young and immune-compromised. There was a response to her prayer that made me wonder, why did this person feel this way? What occurred in his life that dissolved any hope that may have been in something other than himself? I know, from firsthand experience, as many others could also attest to, that life throws punches, some extremely hard, some so hard that getting up is no longer possible. There are those who get up anyway--and those who chose to stay down.
I made a comment of my own which I am posting here.

I hope that no matter what life throws at YOU--that your decision is to get up and keep right on swinging. You are not alone...you have never BEEN alone. God is always right beside you, just waiting for you to take His hand!!



"(name withheld for privacy), I see your posts and know that you rely on Jesus to help you, and I certainly don't wish to offend you, but your nurses will be fine in a few days. It is the flu. It is going around, and it will take a week or two for it to run it's course. Let me ask you this; Christians say that Jesus performs miracles. Well,tell me why he has never healed an amputee? Why, when a plane crashes, and the lone survivor praises Jesus for sparing their life, do they not condemn Jesus for not sparing the other lives, or stop the plane from crashing to begin with? When a NFL player praises Jesus for their winning the game, do they not wonder what He had against the other team?  I discovered long ago, that you have to live your life, and not count on a spiritual deity, whose followers claim that the earth has only existed for 6000 years. There is and will be many challenges in our lives, and we have to take responsibility for them. We do not always succeed, but to allow ourselves to put our future in the hands of a higher power, is throwing our responsibility away, when we should be doing everything we can to make our limited time on this planet as productive and positive as we can. Once you release yourself from those shackles, you will find that YOU have the power, and nothing can stop you from exceeding your goals. You get out of life what you put in to it. Don't throw it away by hoping for a reward in the next life. you can't count on that. Make this one count."

and my response:


  "For those who have faith, no explanation is necessary. For those who don't, none will suffice." @ Kevin: I see the world in its simplest forms. I give thanks for the many things that are here to give us pleasure: sunshine, rain, happy children...and when I see pain, frustration, sorrows, I am grateful, because those things show me that I must have compassion to care for the weaker, to have strength to lead, and humility to follow. If life was perfect, we would not be happy. Case in point: the story of the garden of Eden. God granted everything and doubt was instilled that it just wasn't good enough. As for the amputee, you ARE right. God won't restore his limb...but He is more than willing to restore the person's faith in himself, and in the courage to be an inspiration to others. Life will never be perfect, it is up to each one of us to make it so...by the Grace of God ...and with the help of a few good friends and family! May you be blessed!!