I tried to find a Yiu-Tube clip for this but failed - so I will describe the scene.
It comes from my favourite Burt Reynolds movie "The End". Burt's character has a terminal illness and has spent the movie trying to end it all so he does not suffer horribly. Fun plot, huh? Finally he decides to swim out to sea and drown, so off he goes, swimming until he is exhausted, then he dives under...
He resurfaces, shouting "I want to live!" and sets off for the shore again.
As he goes he starts trying to strike a deal with God, saying he will stop doing all the bad things he has been doing all of his life and saying he will donate 90% of his money to the Church, etc.
Then he realises that he is getting closer to the beach and starts thinking he might make it, so he starts knocking down his offer - 50%, 25% gross, 10%, 10% starting in 5 years. As he staggers up the beach he is blaming God for making him sick in the first place!
Do you see where I am going with this? Of course you do!
And we don't just do this to our own particular God either! We do it to our friends who help us out in the bad times - do we really remember and show our gratitude when things are better? I like to think that I do, but the more I think about it the less certain I become!
As I said: something to ponder...
9 comments:
Oh!! Good post RC!! I like to think that I do a very good job with that only b/c I try my very best and make it a point but...with how my life had been turned upside down the past 2 years...I can't say I've been able to do it as well as before. Life kinda got consuming and it was a struggle to only survive. I lost friends because of it. To that, I say...were they real friends? I guess I'll never know but what I am certain of is that I tried my best and that was literally all I could have done.
Great thinking post!
most interesting thing to ponder, indeed.
i don't think i tell my husband often enough how much i appreciate how he helps me, but in all honesty, i have found that friends, or the ones i thought were friends, weren't really friends, when i needed them for emotional support, they pretended to care, but in the end, they didn't.
i think the person who supports me most when i need it is my husband... but maybe that's because i don't let a lot of ppl close to me... been hurt and burned too often. when i was a teenager, i had gf's that were always there for me... but that was long ago and i live in another country now...
so....
Teresa - Sounds kind of familiar - and as you say, you did your best, which is all that can be expected of anyone!
Um Naief - Having a strong relationship with your "other half" is vital when things get tough. The friends that vanish in your time of need are familiar to me too. It is a shame that this makes us a little defensive when it comes to making new friends, but I guess that can't be avoided.
Sad commentary but so very true. We often think that we can "negotiate" with God to get our way. Unfortunately we don't understand that God loves us and wants to supply for our every need in the situation. We may not be removed from the circumstances, but we are never alone and He will help us through. Lessons learned the hard way...
Excellent point! I think, in general, we aren't as mindful of our blessings when times are good. It's like we have this underlying belief that having things go well and being happy should be the norm; that we are ENTITLED to them! We're not! One of my favorite songs asks, "Who told us we'd be rescued?... Why should we be saved from nightmares?"
I do think that it's often only when times are tough that we stop and say, "Hey! Wait a minute..." But we fail to remember that it's those tough times that help us appreciate the good stuff.
I think this was an awesome post, I often find myself trying to negotiate with God...not good, or right I know but I'm human.
There is a song that I love, it goes something like "He gives and takes away...my heart will choose to say, 'Blessed be the name of the Lord'"...I am extremely conscious of doing this in my particular situation, it gives me peace and hope.
See...you made me think...
very nice post, even though I'm going crosseyed with thinking right now!
I'm always embarrassed by greatfulness when it's heaped on me...mostly because I loke to be unobstrusive about giving and I don't want the giving to be about me. And if thanks isn't received I realize that in times when people are in need they may not be thinking of niceties, they are hurting, in a crisis...I assume when they're done they'll pay it forward...
I stupidly assume others are the same and sometimes realize that my simple thank you isn't quite the show the other person wanted. So I try and do it up for some....it makes them happy....
and the whole negotiating with God...we had a sermon about that...it was great because the pastor said...yeah, you can try and get all beautiful and sentimental in your prayers but God knows you really want to win the lottery....he basically said it's okay to pray for whatever and however you want, it's the fact that you're going to God and having a relationship that is important....AND to say thanks to Him too...;) -- so, I've been known to negotiate myself...
still waiting on the winning numbers though...or even an A ;)
tz - Hey, I was told that you only got winning lottery numbers by selling your soul to the other guy! :-)
I love the idea of paying it forward, but have yet to see it work in practice - but hopefully the fact that I don't see it doesn't mean it isn't happening!
I think the nearest I have come to negotiating was an exasperated "Oh give me a break will you?", which actually seemed to work!
Great post CRC....sure is somthing to ponder....x
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