...and not accept trouble?

Over the last few months, I've come across a myriad of situations in my life that I would define as negative.  Some of these negative occurences find their cause in me - fair enough.  But some of this stuff simply isn't my fault.  It's stuff that God could have protected me from and apparently chose not to (not cool, God!).  Isn't that unfair?  I feel like, if I do most of the stuff that God asks me to do, then I should be rewarded, right?  Life should be easier!  Well, as I thought more deeply on the subject, I began to comb through scripture in my mind in order to find examples of how faithfulness resulted in blessing.  Shock soon ensued.

If you consider the case of EVERY major character in the Biblical story of Israel - all the way through the New Testament - you'll find that these guys and girls don't seem to define blessing in the same manner as we do.  In fact, there are times in their lives where sheer calamity has overwhelmed them - sometimes at the hands of God Himself.  And rather than respond by rejecting God, they generally responded by being more faithful.  Abraham - commanded to kill his own child.  David - his own son was trying to kill him...and dies.  Hosea - commanded by God to unite with a prostitute.  Job - lost his kids, estate, and health, not to mention a constantly complaining wife.  Paul - thorn in his side.  11 of the 12 disciples - execution. 

So then, if the Biblical witness presents overwhelming evidence that God's definition of blessing often comes through tragedy or pain, then where in the world have I received this attitude of entitlement?  The answer: America.  Forgive the vague or cliché nature of that answer, but isn't it true?  In America, I more or less get whatever I want.  Whether at a Burger King or in a relationship, happiness is pretty much defined here by "having it my way".  "Freedom" is so overvalued that we have concluded that even God Himself must adhere to our constitution.  We are taught to make good grades and study hard...and why?  So that we can one day make an adequate amount of money in order to appease our material desires. 

No wonder I think that God owes me something!  I have contextualized my Father in Heaven in the box of my own worldly pre-suppositions and expected Him to act accordingly.  But He doesn't.  He is outside the box.  Despite my initial faithfulness, God goes further to keep on fixing me.  Even when I grow, He prunes me all the more.  Even when I do right, He immediately engineers my circumstances so that I may develop integrity by constantly making the right decision even when it's hard.  It is through the pain of discipline that God has manifested His eternal love of me.  And yes, that is blessing - even though it hurts.  Job's words echoe eternally: "Shall we indeed accept good from God, and not trouble?" (2:10). 

In that same line of thought, allow me to regale you with a quick story.  A couple of weeks ago, a younger acquaintance of mine lost a friend who was close to him, a young high school girl who died tragically in a car accident.  While mourning, he sent me a text that said: "Next time you talk to God, tell Him that I don't appreciate his latest work".  Now, let me say this.  He was hurting, so I don't charge him with wrongdoing for his honesty or for expressing his hurt.  But I must admit that his statement did bother me.  Not because of its apparently blasphemous tone (need I recount all the times David lashed out at God?), but rather because it's the attitude.  It was a spot-on example of how we often approach difficulty in our lives.  We love to point to finger at God.  And honestly, that's fair sometimes.  But what bothers me is that He seems to always get the blame when things go wrong, and never the glory when things go well.  It's the constant mantra of atheists: where was God during 9/11?  where was God during the tsunami?  where was God during Hurricane Katrina?  And I'm like: the same place He was during the surplus, or after the job promotion, or during the baby's healthy birth...

...right here with us...

SRay