February 23, 2013
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What I’ve been thinking about lately
- My church is doing a devotional, Ashes to Fire that lasts from Lent-Pentecost and I’ve been going through it with everyone else that’s participating. I haven’t read the new testament in forever (as it took me over a year to get through the old testament -_- ), so I’ve really been enjoying that.
- God is good and I’m often guilty of forgetting that. Sometimes I look at my life when I’ve been disappointed something didn’t work out the way I wanted it to or other people I know that have been through a lot and I’m like “How could God let them go through that and still be good”. It’s been a process and I think I’m finally getting to the point where I’m like “God, you know what… I don’t know everything that’s behind the situations I’m seeing and/or experiencing and I’m going to just trust that you are good, that you will make good out of the situation, and that you have the final word.” I’ve been at peace about some decisions I’ve made. I wasn’t 100% about buying the car off my aunt, getting on my own insurance etc. But having hours last week and this week, part time hours (at least) during the summer and seeing that the center I work at really does like me (based on what I was told after being observed this past week!) I think I’m finally starting to commit to believing that, not just sometimes/deep down but all the time.
- I could potentially be hearing back about whether or not I get into the nursing program next month!!!!!!! I really hope I hear back soon because I’m supposed to find out this week if they except my transferred in chemistry and AP credits for English! I admit that I don’t know what I’m going to do if I don’t get in, but I’m not going to deal with that until I know for sure that I didn’t.
- I’ve been exploring whether or not I should work with children. I work with them now at the center. And when I was observed the girl that observed me was like “I really admire your repoire with the kids. They are really comfortable with you , even after they have just met you the first time.” I guess I have that effect (affect?) on people in general though. I’ve had random people just tell me about their lives, even total strangers. I don’t mind and I’m sure that’s going to be a big part of being a nurse….I just wonder what will be better for me. What’s going to challenge me, but at the same time what is going to work well with my talents? I’m sure it’ll become clear to me as I go through clinicials, but my friend Emily keeps mentioning that she thinks I would be good working with children. Obviously I’m talking about being a pediatric nurse. Because I really don’t think I would want to be a teacher in the traditional sense. I don’t want to stay at the center I work at now, but I really do love it so I would definitely consider it if everything else fell through. They just don’t have that many centers open so it would really limit me to stay within the company, you know? It’s a wonderful company that knows how to treat their employees and I just think does a lot of things right, but I’m just not sure it’s where I’m supposed to stay long-term. It’s a great summer/break/part-time job. However, if I do the CNA class over the summer that will give me clinicial experience for when I start applying to nursing jobs. I need that edge as I definitely want to get the heck out of CT, no matter what.
I got distracted, so I’m going to end there….
Comments (10)
As far as #2, I don’t get how people can compartmentalize like that. There is literally no terrible thing that doesn’t happen to some nice, good christian somewhere on a daily basis. Good things happening proves god’s good, bad things happening (even the holocaust etc) don’t prove the reverse.
If there is a god it doesn’t appear to be good or evil, but indifferent. The universe operates on constants like gravity which always work the same way no matter how it works out for us. If you’re falling to your death gravity accelerates you toward the ground at the same speed it does everything else. It never varies, all the basic properties of the universe as far as we can observe are constant. They don’t slow down and speed up to avoid hurting us. Fire doesn’t say “hang on wait, there are people in this building, we should burn slower”.
I just don’t see how people can think that way.
Sorry if this rains on your parade, wasn’t my intention.
Glad to hear things are going well for you!
@agnophilo - It might help if, instead of just coming “at” someone, you asked them questions instead. Like: Help me to understand, how do you know good things are from God? What about bad things? Do you think things might just happen and God doesn’t cause them, good or bad? So, instead of coming “at” someone, you extend the conversation, coming “alongside” them. Yes, you have to bear with them, that there is a God for the sake of conversation, but do you not want religious to bear with you, as they converse about their not being a God? Just a thought.
@Doubledb - You’re probably right in that a socratic approach would probably be more productive. I’m a steely-eyed realist, so I don’t care if someone is polite in contradicting me (I mean I don’t want people to insult me but they can tear my beliefs to shreds if they like). If they destroy my worldview I will be grateful because if they can destroy it then I don’t want to believe it.
I suppose I make a lousy ambassador to the world of christiandom sometimes.
I’ve been struggling with number two, not for myself, but for other people… I’ve been working several students in preparation for an exam to graduate high school. I’m terrified of them failing, because I want to protect them from that harsh reality. Every time I worry for them, I pray, but I feel bad because I cannot bring myself to simply pray for God’s will…
Sounds like you’re on the right track.
@agnophilo - I’m not offended by you asking at all. I welcome the dialogue,honestly. It keeps me on my toes, so to speak. And I agree with what you were saying above to Doubledb that if someone can destroy your beliefs then you don’t want to believe them. I agree and I think that my beliefs have a strong basis for them.
But here’s the thing. You’re right, the bad thing doesn’t prove that God is good. The result of the bad thing does. Take my life. I used to cut myself all the time. God helped me get over that and because I used to cut I’m a more empathetic person to what other people are dealing with. That’s just one example. Or over the summer when I worked with children. Some of those children were horrible little monsters, but working with them and learning how to deal with them has made me a more patient person. Hope that makes more sense when I put it that way, even if you don’t agree 100%.
I agree that God does sometimes appear indifferent, and I keep the faith and find that sometimes he comes very close and I don’t feel like he’s being indifferent anymore. I think that’s just part of the game. He seems far away so that the people that really want to seek him no matter what, will. Because I used to not believe nd I would argue that the fact that the universe stays the same in principles like gravity is scientific evidence for God.
@XxrockxXxgirlxX - I agree with the general principle that good things flow from bad and visa versa, but I just see this as every cloud having a silver lining. Where does god enter into it?
And even if something like gravity suggested a god (I don’t see how it does, and the god itself would need an explanation, as well as how it makes gravity etc) it would not suggest the god of any particular religion. After all hindus believe brahma created the universe, vishnu is sustaining it and one day shiva will destroy it. Does the existence of the universe prove the existence of brahma or the continuity of the universe prove the existence of vishnu? Nobody ever established that any of these beings existed or are responsible for existence.
@agnophilo - I guess I just see God as what causes every bad thing to have something good to come out of it.
I see what you’re saying about the gravity. Even if it doesn’t suggest the Christian God I would still argue that it suggests a God in general. Mostly because I have a hard time believing that the world would have consistent rules if everything kind of came together on its own.
@XxrockxXxgirlxX - If the universe has consistent properties that allow it’s separate components to function wouldn’t a god also have to have consistent properties in order for the mechanism it operates on to function? A mind must have a mechanism after all.
Science tries to explain complexity from the bottom up – everything in science points to simple things getting more complicated – tiny particles fusing together to form larger particles which come together to form elements which fuse together to form heavier elements which combine to form chemicals which combine to form simple life, which gets more complex through descent with modification over billions of years. Simple to complex.
The other way around not only contradicts what we know about science, but makes no sense, because it goes from complex to even more complex. A god would have to be very complex, more complex than the universe even. Not an explanation for the origins of complexity.
And I see no reason to suppose anything’s going on beyond natural consequences. I believe in a more yin and yang approach to good and evil.
Thanks for the update!
Re: # 1 – I’m SO happy to hear you were reading in the OT!
So many Christians neglect that.
Re: # 2 – Forgetting that God is good is one of the greatest temptations we all continue to face. That’s what the devil was seeking to do in the garden to Adam & Eve. They had God and they had all they needed in paradise, but the serpent began to insinuate doubts into their minds as to the goodness and sufficiency of God.
Ask God to make your intellectual belief in His goodness real to you, to grow your assurance and experience of the Father’s love for you and your position as a child of God through the Holy Spirit (end of Eph. 3; Romans 8:14-39). As that happens, we are able to begin to really live as more than conquerors through Christ!
Re: # 3 & 4 – Will be praying for clear leading for you. Don’t forget to keep asking God to grow your love and affection for Him (Psalm 27:4) because , everything else pales in comparison to Him (Psalm 73:25, 28; Phil. 3:7-11).
Philippians 3:14,
Karen