In Reply to: Re: Life can be tough, can't it? posted by Donny on April 14, 2003 at 09:37:26:
Thank you for writing that long post. I agree that counting one's blessings is a good thing. I understand that God is taking care of me, somehow, but what I don't understand is the deep valleys in my path. Things don't have to be perfect all the time but the overal picture is sometimes missing. My problem is that I like to see that overall picture and when my patience is tried I discover I am not as strong as I thought.
I always suspected the family's teachings of "you are not good" not because I had problems with the glorification of God as the "number one" but because I saw how some people were glorified (usually top leaders and the so-called royal family) in spite of their blunders. In other words, some people were worth to be "over everybody else" and would be forgiven seven-times-seven but not all. There was a difference at play between people who could do not wrong (or at least go on without being scolded) and everybody else. Sometimes I wonder if that is how God deals with us and if there are "favorites" but I know it is not so even if things may seem that way sometimes. Is this a left over from the family?
One of the most horrible doctrines in the family had to do with turning your back on those weaker brothers and sisters. I understand where that doctrine came from but there is something evil for Christians to suggest that walking away from people in need is the way to go when they are calling from help.
I was thinking about all of this not only because of my own situation but in genral, sometimes those are really heavy burdens to carry, and I consider myself a believer but what about people who are not believers and have been so affected by those teachings. Sometimes it gets very dark and it is difficult to see a way out. There has to be an answer but I am not sure is along the letter "Dumps". I am not suggesting your anser is that way, actually it has practical applications and I thank you for it but it is not always easy.