Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. -Job 1: verse 21
When bad things happen, what do I do? Do I need to blame someone? Is my very first thought one of revenge? Or do I even blame God, especially for the really bad losses I experience? To be honest, I do try to assign responsibility to someone other than myself. And while that sounds, oh, so reasonable, isn't it really the same? Perhaps a better first reaction is the one Job has. His first thought, and then his first action, upon hearing terrible news is to praise God. There is no doubt he felt what I feel whenever bad things happen, but he thought first to bless God. Powerful.
Today, I will try to praise God first, like Job, if something bad happens. And if nothing bad happens, I will thank him for that too!
I can see how this must sound so preachy! Truth is, I can't control my first reaction to any bad situation, be it a small annoyance or a big catastrophe. I can only ask in my daily talk with God that he will guard my heart for the day, protecting me from that inclination I have to cast blame.
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