• The KillerFrogs

Learning to play the hand life deals you

wes

KIllerfrog Emeritus
I don’t know and never will.honestly I don’t buy into the notion of God’s plan because I cannot see a loving god bringing pain suffering and misery to eople for no apparent
My reason. When my son died, I had a lot of people who would pay me on the back and say” it’s just part of God’s plan””. Over time I came to realize they just didn’t know what to say or how to rationalize itontheirminds, so they said what made them feel better but it didn’t do the job for me.

Maybe there is a plan, I don’t know
 

JockO de Frog

Active Member
John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.


2 Corinthians 1:3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;
4Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
5For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.
6And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.
7And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.
 

Purp

Active Member
I have no idea what is setting you off. I think it’s pretty fair to question wth is going on after you watch some of these kids and people go through horribleness. I was hoping some our Brite alums would answer me here. We’ll see if one does.

Some people getting these blessings and none for these children?
I'll try to leave it at this as, again, I'm not a theologian.

But I think you're asking the wrong question/s, or at least looking at things rather through the wrong prism. Our lives here on earth are not the end goal. Our emotions here on earth are certainly wrapped up in what happens to us and our loved ones here, but they are utterly meaningless in the grand scheme of things.

You asked about some people getting blessings while other kids get none. Why are some people born into the most opulent nation in the history of earth and others born into destitution and corrupt governments/persistent civil conflict with almost no hope of escape in their lifetimes? Does either deserve that outcome more or less than the other? You could extend these hypotheticals any number of ways. The most common I think is the one where the bad guy gets the best life with all the riches and fame while the good guy lives in poverty and struggles day to day. But some of God's greatest saints lived in poverty and didn't consider it on imposition because they were focused on others for God rather than on themselves for themselves. This is why the axiom "attitude is everything" is so true and why perspective is so critical in how two people can view the same thing so differently.

I'd argue again that an innocent child killed by cancer may be receiving the greatest blessing possible and that's a head start on eternity with our Father in Heaven. That doesn't make it any less painful for us here, but if we don't allow our perceptions to reach beyond the boundaries of earth and time as we experience it here we can't get past the pain. When/if we do that we're relying on ourselves and humankind for answers and help rather than God.

Do I want to die right now? When I think about my 3 kids between 6 months and 6 years old, my wife and the life we're trying to build for those kids, and my friends and other family the answer is no. I want to live. But when I think about eternal joy in Heaven with a love of God overwhelming my love even for my kids the answer is yes. I can't wait for that day, though I seldom set my mind on it. As a result, I have the same proclivity to lament the negative than rejoice in the positive.

I don't mean to sound like a guy who always handles every difficult situation perfectly. I don't. My emotions cloud my views of things and disrupt my faith as much as anybody else. But that doesn't change the fact that I believe these are the answers you seek.
 

Opintel

Moderators
Hmmmm...not to oversimplify, but this is what I believe.

I am in charge of nothing.
I (my self/soul) inhabits the body of a human organism. My body (flesh) is that of an animal, with all it's frailties.
I am not smart enough to understand the why of most things. That is why I put my faith in a higher power. I am charged by that higher power to do the best I can.

That's it. Simple, and it gets me through the day.

NEGU
 

wes

KIllerfrog Emeritus
I don’t know and never will.honestly I don’t buy into the notion of God’s plan because I cannot see a loving god bringing pain suffering and misery to eople for no apparent
My reason. When my son died, I had a lot of people who would pay me on the back and say” it’s just part of God’s plan””. Over time I came to realize they just didn’t know what to say or how to rationalize itontheirminds, so they said what made them feel better but it didn’t do the job for me.

Maybe there is a plan, I don’t know
Sorry for the lousy job of typing. I cannot use my left hand which leaves no choice but to dictate or use one finger. Auto correct makes most what I write sound idiotic
 

Hemingway

Active Member
I don’t know and never will.honestly I don’t buy into the notion of God’s plan because I cannot see a loving god bringing pain suffering and misery to eople for no apparent
My reason. When my son died, I had a lot of people who would pay me on the back and say” it’s just part of God’s plan””. Over time I came to realize they just didn’t know what to say or how to rationalize itontheirminds, so they said what made them feel better but it didn’t do the job for me.

Maybe there is a plan, I don’t know
There is no rhyme or reason to it. I’m sorry about your son. I guess just live clean and be a good soul is the best one can do. But I’m not into the plan thing as a valid reason.
 

Hemingway

Active Member
Wes, I don’t know why you don’t have steelfrog on ignore—what a beating.

I haven’t been a poster on this board very long because I thought I might spend way too much time posting, but I have been reading this forum daily for over a decade. I feel like I know everyone on here personally. I was saddened by Scott’s passing and now your illness. I’m slightly older than you with two open-heart surgeries and a pacemaker but that pales in comparison with what you are going through. I understand Hemingway’s perspective and sentiments but I also know that God is all good and all merciful even when it doesn’t make sense to us. I was just praying this morning and contemplating the vast difference in God’s perspective and ours for this very reason. Friends just lost a 22 year old sweet and godly daughter to a helicopter crash—a helicopter crash for goodness sake! After walking with God for 35 years I still don’t understand, other than to say this life is but an eye-blink in time compared to eternity and there is little difference in 3 years or 100 years here. Those in Christ Jesus have the hope of eternity without the suffering. That is my certain hope and I hope it is yours. Nevertheless, I am still praying that God grants you many more years with us without that blasted tumor!
I’m guessing you’re talking about that helicopter crash in the Bahamas that killed those LSU girls? That was horrible.
 

Hemingway

Active Member
I don't mean to sound like a guy who always handles every difficult situation perfectly. I don't. My emotions cloud my views of things and disrupt my faith as much as anybody else. But that doesn't change the fact that I believe these are the answers you seek.
I appreciate your thought out response. I’m not ready to go either just sick of seeing some preachers flying in G5’s talking about the plan, while seeing little ones deal with things like non hodgkins lymphoma and etc. I know Wes is a good dude and doesn’t deserve this bleep.
 

Purp

Active Member
I appreciate your thought out response. I’m not ready to go either just sick of seeing some preachers flying in G5’s talking about the plan, while seeing little ones deal with things like non hodgkins lymphoma and etc. I know Wes is a good dude and doesn’t deserve this bleep.
I have a lot of friends in ministry who are rightfully very skeptical of the type of preachers you describe. I believe Paul cautions us about them and people like them throughout his missionary journeys. Since it's not my responsibility to judge them for eternity, though, I'm not going to let the disparity bother me. Ultimately, I trust God is a fair arbiter of justice.

Also, I'm not so sure wanting God to be more active in doling out justice anyway. Otherwise I'd be struck dead several times a day. Truth be told we're all sinners and fall short of His glory.
 

steelfrog

Tier 1
Steel finds it super frustrating to read the same people who say that God's will is unknown and unknowable (which, for anyone who studied how the Bible came to be, is undeniable), to on the other hand write a dissertation about what they know God's will to be.

As if they know anything about it, which they do not. No living human knows anything about a higher power, period. At best it is informed speculation based on the previous informed speculation of the know-nothings who came before them.

The main thing is, don't be a butthole. Which most of you on here don't seem capable of, at least on this forum. Opintel being a notable exception. You really think Wes or anybody is interested in you all's ignorant debates about God, which you know nothing about?

Wes has been updating all you all about his condition etc, and there's hardly a line forming to go to Georgetown and see him and raise his spirits. Plenty of you live a short drive from him, no more than 3 hours. But very few of you actually do anything to improve things. Just be dumbarses on here implying that his cancer is as a result of something he did to upset God's perfect plan. Some of you people are smoking something. Must be some good ganga.
 
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