But how often, when tragedy overwhelms us, do we treat it like a cross? Our family member dies and we say that God is testing us. We say that we have to bear it silently, patiently. We say we have to let such an event mold our lives, to learn from it. We feel suddenly distanced form God and we say we must turn our hearts back to him, slowly, day-by-day. While such bravery is admirable, but only in the same way the man who chooses to kill the dragon by running him in circles until he or it dies is vaguely admirable. There is an easier way, and it is this:\n
<\/span><\/p>\nI sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\u00a0<\/span>3<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup>I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\u00a0<\/span>4<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup>They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\u00a0<\/span>5<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup>O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee.<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\u00a0<\/span>6<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup>Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\u00a0<\/span>7<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup>Because for thy sake I have borne reproach; shame hath covered my face.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\u00a0<\/span>8<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup>I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother\u2019s children.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\u00a0<\/span>9<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup>For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\u00a0<\/span>10<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup>When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\u00a0<\/span>11<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup>I made sackcloth also my garment; and I became a proverb to them.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\u00a0<\/span>12<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup>They that sit in the gate speak against me; and I was the song of the drunkards.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\u00a0<\/span>13<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup>But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O LORD, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\u00a0<\/span>14<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup>Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\u00a0<\/span>15<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup>Let not the waterflood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nDon\u2019t let a crisis be a time of wallowing. Let it be a time where nothing else matters and you turn to god, plain and simple. In my last post I talked about being a man, but here all you need to do is be human! I know I have much more to say on this, but it eludes me now. I have a great idea for my next post, though, given to me by my favorite Protestant in the world, Anna Elizabeth, who works fast-food with me, and is incredible. May God bless you my friends! Please share your thoughts if you have any; they tend to be more insightful than mine.<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n
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