What I Believe About God

I do not believe, as I think my mother does :-), that my condition is some sort of divine punishment from God.

Let me be very clear. I am not saying that I have not done anything worthy of punishment. Let me say it here and now: I am a sinner. It's just that I do not believe God doles out earthly rewards and punishments in a pattern that is recognizable to human logic. I think the Biblical story of Job supports this conclusion. God allows trials and tribulations into our lives for different reasons.

Furthermore, I do not even think the human mind is capable of discerning what is a real blessing and a real punishment. For instance, most, if no all of us would think of a financial windfall as a blessing, but I really cannot imagine that God will use money as a reward, when the Bible says that the love of money is the root of all evil.

I remember a story I heard when I was a young boy; I believe it's a Chinese story meant to illustrate the unpredictability of fortunes:

There was once a poor farmer.
One day his horse, his prized possession, ran away.
"What misfortune!" his neighbors cried.
But a few days later, the horse not only found its way home, but also brought along a wild horse it had befriended.
"What luck!" his neighbors shouted.
However, a few days later, the farmer's son, while trying to "tame" the wild horse, fell off and broke his leg.
"What misfortune!"
But that very same day, a government draft board came into town to draft soldiers into the army to fight a bloody war. They skipped over the farmer's son when they saw he had a broken leg.
"What luck!"

A similar theme also runs through the lives of several Biblical characters: Moses comes immediately to mind. Joseph too. My point is that I am not taking this condition of mine as a particularly bad thing, because sometimes God uses these things to take us to a better place.

Lastly, I also believe that being a Christian doesn't mean that real earthly misfortune will not befall me. That is not my pact with God. I will not say to God that I will be a Christian so I expect a smooth life. I do not believe that God promises us any such thing on our earthly journey. What He does promise us is in the eternal afterlife.

These are the things that I believe about God in the context of what I am going through now.

Let there be no misunderstanding - I must ask for forgiveness for my sins. But that is something I must do always, and not only when perceived "misfortune" falls upon me.

I seek guidance, then leave myself in His hands; because after all is said and done, He knows best.