Yesterday I was sitting in my Sunday School class. The topic was Abraham and Isaac and the question was posed, "Are trials and tribulations in our lives self-inflicted or God-given."
I listened to a couple of people answer with their thoughts, but in the end I came to the conclusion that NO trials are self-inflicted. I believe they fall into other categories:
1) God-given
2) Acts of nature
3) Genetic
Period. Yes, period. At least until I can come up with another category.
1) Trials can clearly be given us from God (if you believe in Him that is). If you disagree, just ask Job. We can be given trials to test us and to make us stronger.
2) Sometimes we are just the victims of nature. I don't believe God sent hurricanes to punish the Gulf States or a tsunami to wipe our Sri Lankan, Indian, and other friends. I think he has set the Earth in rotation and from there nature takes over. Sure, He can control it when he wants, but I don't believe God worries himself with each drop of rain, or gust of wind that takes a shingle off your roof because you didn't pray that morning.
3) I don't believe that my son was given eczema because his mother or I weren't living properly. I have had shingles, as has my grandmother. I have another skin condition I don't even know the name of which is exhibited by inflamed pores. Even though I don't have eczema, it's not a stretch to believe maybe he got it genetically.
So, am I saying that everything is thrust upon us? Oh, no. Not at all. I just don't think we bring on trials in our lives, but consequences. This may be a fight in semantics, but I think it's an important one.
People chose to live below sea level in New Orleans. The consequence of that is possible flooding. I choose to live in a well watered valley bottom near a major fault line. The consequence of that could be one day an earthquake that sinks my house into 10 feet of mud. That's a consequence. I chose to live here and am fully aware of what may come of it.
So, are trials self-inflicted or God-given? They certainly can be God-given, or can come about by other means. However, if you want me to believe that what you're dealing with is a trial you brought on yourself, I don't. It's a consequence of your actions that you can change whether you are the sperm donor to an unwed teenage pregnant girl or a homeowner whose house slid off the hill in the last torrential rain storm.
Monday, March 06, 2006
Chesno Trials
Posted by Chesno Slova at 8:16 AM
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4 comments:
Not sure what to think about this one. I agree about the semantic difference between trials and consequences of unwise choices, but if these last aren't trials, they certainly can be trying to deal with. Still, I'm trying to remember a quote by Neal A. Maxwell that essentially warned against justifying the consequences of sin by chalking them up as "learning experiences."
I certainly am not condoning justifying the consequences of sin by calling them "learning experiences".
This didn't have the benefit of being fully thought out before writing it. As I spoke with Jenn last night I made myself a little more clear.
Basically, I believe that self-inflicted hardships are consequences of our own actions and trials given us as tests. Frankly, if we lived as we should, our lives would be 1M times easier because of the good consequences of our actions and in theory, all we would have to deal with is acts of nature, genetics and whatever God decides to throw our way because we aren't learning enough.
I feel most of our trials are self-inflicted and therefore consequences of our own stupid actions.
OK, sloppy writing and trying to pinch something off quickly at work bites me again.
The 3rd paragraph of my comment should read, "...our own actions and NOT trials given us as tests."
Also, the 4th paragraph uses terms in different ways than the blog entry and the comment. Perhaps it should sum everything up by saying,
"I feel most of our hardships are a result of our bad choices and therefore not a trial which is a test, exam, or assessment of ones strength."
I would add "Satan" to one of the sources of trials. I wrote about my list here but I think I need to change my #3 to people, both others and self.
But nicely written.
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