" Every situation, even though immediately it might look unhappy or difficult or absurd or impossible, he praises God. That becomes the transparency through which God is able to act through us and in us, when we trust God that much, when we believe that God is always loving us." (R. Rohr "Radical Grace" p. 68)
Certainly its incredibly easy to praise God, when something good happens unexpectedly or when we're in smooth sailing mode. I can be incredibly generous, loving, and kind when everything is working. The real challenge comes when things are going down the tubes, or when I can see a real storm on the horizon. Or when caught unexpectedly by a really negative situation especially when I'm the target. How do I praise God at those moments? How does it not become like the scene it the movie "Animal House" where Niedermeyer and company or initiating pledges by spanking them with a paddle, and all they can say is "thank you sir may I have another." That certainly is not praising God, nor does speak well of ones relationship with God if the only thing we can muster in bad times, is please keep it coming. God isn't interested in spiritual masochism.
When things are going wrong, I do tend to praise God, because it is in that relationship, that no matter how alone or abandoned I may feel by others, I still sense God's presence, which then clears the fog enough for me to see, that in fact, no I'm not alone, nor do I have to stay self-deceived in my loneliness. Yes, I need to remember to praise God for the good times, but to also trust in the loving presence in the bad. Easy to do? No. A better way to deal with the situation? In my experience, Yes!
Blessings,
Ed
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
yes praise God all the time. in bad times God is there to protect us .. and that he got us through the moment.
ReplyDelete