Recently I posted, "I am where I am today because this is where God has put me." as my status on my Facebook page. It wasn't insightful or thought provoking, just how I was feeling at the moment. It was the response I got from one of my friends that surprised me and became the catalyst for this blog post.
The response post read, "C'mon, give yourself some credit! You are where you are because you made the right, or wrong, decisions that put you in that place. Why are people so anxious to thank God, and hesitant to blame God for their place in life?"
Huh? Blame God? Why would I want to blame God? I have never considered blaming God for things that happen. Most of the time if something happens it's because I made a boneheaded mistake. I was the one completely at fault for making the choices that lead me to that point.
But as I reread his post, my heart went out to him. Just then, I considered another thought. How many others are just like my friend? How many "blame God for their place in life?"
Look at Job's wife. She felt that way too. Until today I hadn't thought about it, but Job's wife suffered losses. Usually when we study the book of Job, we look at Job or his "friends", rarely do we consider Job's wife.
While Job suffered losses, so did she. Those were her children who were killed. It was her husband that was afflicted. While Satan was testing Job, Job's wife was tested as too. It was her response that differed from Job however. Her response and the only time it is recorded that she speaks, is to say, "Curse God and die!"
She couldn't see past the calamity. She couldn't see past the pain and the hurt. She couldn't see past her own grief. How many of our friends are like Job's wife? How many of them have become cynical and detached from God because of their pain, hurt or their grief?
I believe God puts people into our lives for two basic of reasons, either for them to be a help us or for us to help them. Tonight, I believe it is the latter. I just pray that God gave me the right words to say to him. To reach out to him. To lead him to God.
