Bully for her.
Obviously this struck a cord. It sounded a little too much like the "If you just have faith you'll get pregnant" comment I received while trapped in the rabbit hutches of the married ward at BYU. I came home m.a.d. with a response along the lines of "I'll show you faith! You best be running across Utah lake because I'm about to..."
I didn't believe her, but I'd be lying if parts of me at some times didn't wonder if maybe it was true. Maybe if I gave more over to God...
I sat reading the comments on this post, and getting a little more and more irritated with some of them. Until I got to this one.
"I did the same thing. The baby never came. I want to think that is okay.
But when I read posts like yours I cannot help but wonder why it is that God rewards some while leaving others to live up to their vows of being faithful despite not getting what it is their hearts craved the most.
It's one of the reasons that I do not attend church or participate in a religious community anymore. I simply cannot hear people proclaim how God blessed them for their faithfulness with what it is they wanted all along (a baby, a child cured, relief from pain, etc.) while others are simply left to be faithful while it all falls apart, all falls away."
I cried. I know she is not the only who believes this. That concept (the one about 'just have faith and you'll get blessed') is one of my biggest pet peeves with people of many religions.
In the Gospel according to me, Faith is a concept so misunderstood. And it's myth is often perpetuated most by well-meaning individuals who quip "just have faith." Faith is not believing so we will get what we want. Faith is being able to trust that God knows us better than we know ourselves and having faith is knowing that we are strong enough, good enough, worthy enough to handle what life (and yes, even sometimes God) might throw at us.
3 comments:
Yannette, you are so right. In my experience, some of the most "faith"ful people I know are the ones that have the most trials thrown at them. When Dale and I had an interview with my Bishop before we got married he told us to be faithful and to live th gospel and that this would not keep us from having trials and hardships, but would give us the tools to handle them. Hang in there and know that we love you!
To me faith might as well be refered to as endure to the end. Faith is what keeps us going even when life doesn't go the way we want. You are so right on.
"Faith is not believing so we will get what we want. Faith is being able to trust that God knows us better than we know ourselves and having faith is knowing that we are strong enough, good enough, worthy enough to handle what life (and yes, even sometimes God) might throw at us.":
Amen.
Gloria
Post a Comment