Rantical

Lately I have been frustrated with the state of the church. Through my work I get to experience all the different facets of Christianity. I want to say that some of these are great some no so great. That being said, I want to mention one of the things that I don't like. I don't like the way many people view God. I believe that God is good and He wants us to have a full life, but He is not a slot machine that dispenses blessings on us because we ask (I do believe that we have not because we ask not, but that is not an obligation on God's part.) I have heard a lot recently about how God wants us to be "happy", and if we are poor, broken-hearted, suffering, beaten, etc. that all we need to do is pray and God will take us out of that oppressive situation. Not so! I believe that there is suffering in the world, actually I don't have to believe it, it is all around us. But there are two types of suffering. One, because we are a fallen people, a people not designed to be the way we are we suffer for that fact alone. We have all experienced death first hand, I rest my case. But there is another type of suffering, the kind that we are responsible for. We (Americans) are a people that don't like take responsibility for our actions and the resulting suffering. For example, if I get a ticket for speeding, I can come up with numerous excuses for the suffering I will endure (fines, higher insurance rates), but really I am responsible for my actions and suffering.
God does want us to have a full (well rounded) life and unfortunately that includes suffering. Often times we grow the most through our times of suffering. I like the Proverb that says. "Give me enough food to live on, neither too much nor too little. If I'm too full, I might get independent, saying, 'God? Who needs him?' If I'm poor, I might steal and dishonor the name of my God." We need God and at no other time in life do we realize that more then when we are suffering.
When people, pastors especially, say that we are suffering because we are not praying enough, righteous enough, believing enough etc. they are really saying that you are not good enough for God. And as a result they push us further and further into a depression that is magnified by the idea that we need to get back on God's good side.
As my former and great pastor used to say, "God loves you as much as He loves His Son."
Blessings,
Ryan D