Okay, I've just been catching up on the events of the past week, with Hurricane Katrina and the levee's breaking and what-not, and, I have to say it scares me just a little. I mean, yeah, it's scary about what happened. That's a given. Goodness knows I am really feeling bad for the people there, and hoping and praying for them, and trying to figure out what I can do to help. However, that's not so much what I'm talking about. I feel like this tragedy is, well, a little Biblical feeling.
*So, like, God destroyed the earth before with floods. Yes. He did it to punish those not following Him and listening to what He was trying to tell them. Fair enough. And yes, He said next time He wouldn't use flooding, but instead use fire. Okay. Good deal, God, gotcha. However, I kinda feel like maybe He's mad b/c the world is going to shit and we're not taking very good care of it. People left and right are ditching God and only seeking Him when it's convenient. I know as a mother that if my kids did that to me, I'd still love them and help them out, but it would surely piss me off! I'd probably try to kinda let them know they were screwing up in some way or another before I totally cut them off. That's how I'm feeling right now.
Okay, so look at it like this: Let's just say that the first big thing on the national scale was 9/11. Although we could probably go back earlier, like the Oklahoma City bombing, or something else major, let's just start here. Here, God could have been saying, "Hey, I'm ticked off, and oh yeah, you guys don't forget that I said I'd destroy the earth by fire next time. Here's a little warning, a big ol' destructive fire, to clean up your act or else!"
We didn't listen. So, He said, "Okay, fine. Check this out." Then he made a big ol' Tsunami and killed a bunch of people and destroyed their world, essentially. He said, "Hey, remember what I did before? Yeah, maybe you forgot, so I showed you just how bad it was." He flooded them as a kind of reminder, and hoped that the world would catch on.
Did we? Of course not. So, now he's trying again. He's getting pretty ticked now, and He's getting tired of reminding us. He's been reading all the books, and they say to be consistent, and not sway when you say you'll do something. Oh, but He's such a loving father to us all, and He doesn't want to take such drastic action (the whole tough love thing, you know), and He's trying everything in His power, aside from just coming down to the earth and saying it out loud in total obvious fashion (which He just doesn't do!), to let us know to clean up our act or He's really gonna have to do what he said.
Let's take this example. TJ is being a brat today. He hits me. I tell him to stop, or he'll have to go to bed for the night. It's 8 o'clock, and I probably shouldn't have made such a big threat so early in the night, but I'm hoping he'll just cut it out, especially since my threat was a big one. So, ten minutes later, he hits me again. Well, now I don't want to put him to bed at 8:10, b/c surely he'll be up in the middle of the night (his bedtime isn't until 10), and I'll have to deal with him then. So, I remind him of the warning he got earlier. Half an hour later, "smack!" That's right, hit again. So, I remind him of what happened last time I told him to stop hitting me and he didn't. That's right, lost all his candy for the night and went in time out. "See, I followed through then, TJ, and I'll do it again," I'm trying to tell him. Finally, he hits me again, and I just have to put him to bed, early or not. I can't dilly-dally around forever. Not only am I mad about it now, but he's gonna know I'm a total push-over if I don't do what I said I'd do. So, who's to say that God isn't right there on the edge and just mad enough to do what He said He would? Maybe this is just my thoughts. I surely hope I'm wrong. I do have an active imagination at times. Either way, it really scares me, and I'm making sure I'm in the right boat when the time comes.
Well, you guys have a great day, and I'll see you later.
*disclaimer-I'm not writing from Biblical fact, just kinda writing how it's interpreted in my mind.
My ranting and raving, and hopefully your reading!
Thursday, September 01, 2005
I kinda gotta wonder...
posted by Christi at 1:11 AM
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8 Comments:
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I'm afraid I have to agree with Katt on this one (sorry Kathy you'll always be Katt to me!).
I'm probably not the right person to offer a position on this since I'm not involved with any religous group but our little blue planet has always had challenges.
That expression "May you live in interesting times" is so ironic because WE ALL DO. Life on the planet is evolving, the earth itself is changing, politics change things, more recently our industry is changing the climate, perspectives change, values change and the human experience grows because of it.
I don't believe for a moment that the end is near. I do believe that we are on the cusp of change riding it to infinity.
Let's also keep in mind that nature (ie: wild life) don't have an expectation that things will ever be easy. They live in a predator/prey world. It's very easy for us to forget that world exists since we don't deal with it on a daily basis.
We are part of that very same system and most of the time we are the predators with no natural enemies (other than each other).
Life is not supposed to be easy and can be, sometimes downright, unpleasant but this is by design and is natural in shaping the human experience.
My heart and hopes go out to all of those who are going through difficulty right now and I'm very saddened by the loss of life but the survivors will persevere just as those left after the tsunami did.
We are human and we don't quit and we don't lose and we don't give up. -
two things---
God also promised HE would not destroy the earth by floods again... so at least we're in the clear on that. :) Just kidding.. I know you weren't looking for religion talk... and I'm not even going to START in on the book of Revelations...
but anyways..... regardless of how you get there, (comparing world disasters to wrath of God or misbehaving for your mama and getting sent to bed early) ...I think it's always good to have a head-check now and then to remind you to be good. we could ALL stand to be a little better. -
To clear up the TJ bed thing...I want him to go to bed at ten. I actually would keep him up later (he really doesn't go to sleep till about 11 or so), b/c his dad doesn't get home till 10:30. We are on what I like to call a "restaurant schedule", and we all sleep till about 9:30-10 in the morning. It works for us. I get my me time, it just happens to be from 10-2 am. I'm not worried, b/c I don't plan for him to go to school, so he won't have to worry about waking up early.
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Oh..I gotta jump on this bandwagon. One of my fav topics.
I guess from my position, it would be quite pretentious to assume God from the Christian bible is responsible for everything, when there are people all around the world with different faiths and different belief systems. Christianity, although a largely practiced as it has many branches and offshoots all stemming from the Christian umbrella, is just a drop in the hat for all the various interpretations of God.
I also couldn’t bring myself to believe there is a God out there with such vengeance. If He is all powerful, all knowing and all good, then I just can’t bring myself to believe he has a master plan to pick people off this earth or inflict pain and suffering. God is compassionate, not spiteful. I couldn’t imagine praying to and living in fear of that kind of God.
I am more concerned about the science and studies around the change in the earth’s magnetic field and different rates that the core of the earth rotates from the crust of the planet causing tectonic activity. These events cause earth quakes and tsunamis (or polar reversals). These are also events that have caused mass extinction in the past. But I’ve always been a science nerd and have required scientific proof as an explanation to something. -
OH My GOSH, these same thoughts have crossed my mind. I do believe an end is coming and it is near. These are all signs that the bible tells us.
I do believe New Orleans is a city that God may not appove of.
As for TJ, we are the same here, up until Mackenzie starts school that is. We are not morning people here and I can't get myself up at 6am every morning. Even 8am is to early for me.
You do whatever works for you.
Great post Christi.
I was going to comment about your take on "disasters" (sorry, but the hurricane was not that big news around here!)... but then I saw that you put TJ to bed at 10 o'clock! Wow! I thought I was "different" as my kids go to bed anytime from 7pm to 8.30pm. (Frally always has me on about it - her kids are in bed by 6.30pm AT THE LATEST.)
Wow. 10pm. How do you cope? My "me time" is between 8 - 10pm, then I go to bed!
:-)