| [Job] replied,…“Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” |
| —Job 2:10 |
You’ve seen the commercials. “You’re worth it!” “You deserve a break.” Our culture not only urges us to desire things that feed our pleasure centers, but also persuades us that we are somehow entitled to them. We begin to believe that God owes us everything we think we have coming.
This kind of thinking also has a flip side. That we don’t deserve trouble. That we shouldn’t have to suffer, or feel need, or want for anything. Our society has us convinced that God is good, but only when He grants our wishes like some grand Santa Clause.
I have read the story on a couple of occasions of Arthur Ashe, the famous tennis star in which he was confronted about his own suffering. Ashe, who was the first black man to win the U.S. Open, Australian Open, and Wimbledon, contracted AIDS during heart surgery in 1983. He had become infected by the blood with which he was transfused.
He received a letter from a fan which asked: “Why does God have to select you for such a bad disease?”
To this, Arthur Ashe replied:
The world over—50 million children start playing tennis, 5 million learn to play tennis, 500,000 learn professional tennis, 50,000 come to the circuit, 5,000 reach the grand slam, 50 reach Wimbledon, 4 to semi final, 2 to the finals. When I was holding a cup I never asked God “Why me?”
And today in pain, I should not be asking God “Why me?”
Happiness keeps you Sweet,
Trials keep you Strong,
Sorrow keeps you Human,
Failure keeps you humble,
and Success keeps you glowing.
But, only Faith & Attitude keeps you going.1
When you see the blessing and favor of God on your life, why not ask: “God, why me?” And, when things don’t go the way you would like, why not say:“Thank you, God. In spite of my disappointment, I can still declare, ‘You are a good God.’”
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| 1 Pathak, Harit. The Why Me? Story. Found on the website: EssentiallySports.com. May 24, 2015. |
