Stone Soup by Jan Eliot for May 09, 2009
Transcript:
Holly: Mom? How do people end up homeless?? Val: Lose your job...lose your insurance...car breaks down...if you don't have a SAFETY NET, things can go downhill FAST. Val: It can happen to the best of us. Holly: Are you trying to freak me OUT?! Val: No. Keep you humble.
So God is to receive the credit when things go well, but none of the blame when things go badly? What a cushy gig. “I suffer because God is testing me.” “I thrive because God has blessed me.” Do your own actions, choices and attitudes have NOTHING to do with your circumstances? Be happy when things are good, and work to maintain that happiness. When things go badly, don’t let it crush you, and work to improve them. In either case, bear in mind that things WILL change, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. There are things which it is beyond your control to change, and things which are responsive to your will and choices. Keeping a positive outlook is important. In the words of Lincoln, “It has been my experience that the great majority of men are about as happy as they’ve made up their minds to be.” You don’t need to practice a particular religion, or ANY RELIGION AT ALL, to choose happiness in adversity.
But to affix credit OR blame to magical forces is irrational superstition, and praying for improvement of a bad situation is useless, and believing “the Lord will provide” is extremely damaging, if it means that you opt out of taking your own initiative.