I've never been able to stop at some point in this time I'm here at Steemit to write a religious or spiritual post. Not for lack of will, but for lack of opportunity, time and also fear of being ignored in view that the majority of users here on the platform do not declare themselves religious.
But, I don't pay attention to that today. That's why I bring you now a reflection on something that is very normal to happen to everyone who, like me, has faith in God, which is the fact of resorting to him only when we are in difficulties.
I have already lost count of how many times I myself have not remembered to pray for the whole month and when there is some difficulty, I swallow my pride, bend my knees, close my hands and begin to pray praying to God for a solution. And he always answered my prayers.
I am a Catholic, and I have a special devotion for Saint Expedite, "The Saint of Impossible Causes" and he really lives up to his title, because he always interceded to God for my request and my entreaties for "help" in the difficulties of life. He never abandoned me and I always carry his image in my wallet that has his prayers.
But is this act of resorting to God only in difficulties is something right or normal? In my opinion, yes and no.
I believe that no first, because our relationship with God only stay focused in the interest of what he can give us. It is something selfish and a 100% human act to think at some point in our life that we can solve all the problems, that we are immune to any adversity and that we do not need anyone. But one day we realized how foolish we were to think so.
It is what St. Paul speaks in the Bible in his letter to the Corinthians (I don't remember chapter and verse), but it says the following:
"He who thinks himself to be on his feet, beware lest he fall."
When we fall, when we can not see any solution, no one who can help us around us, we turn to God for a solution. God most often answers us, for he is God and not human and is always ready to hear us.
But, sometimes he does not answer. And when he does not answer we get sad and upset, but only he knows why he did not give us that supposed "grace" we asked for when we were in trouble.
In regard to being normal this selfish way we act of asking God instead of pleasing him for all the blessings we receive, it is primarily due to our imperfection, inheritance of the original sin committed by our ancestors Adam and Eve. We are limited beings, imperfect from birth to death.
We accumulate defects throughout life, feelings that are often confused, we have a fairly relative and negative idea about power, judge ourselves to be self-sufficient, we want to be creators instead of creatures, humility is not part of our natural way of being, even though we try to take on and practice humility.
And God knows it. As I said above: "God is God and not human." Therefore, he knows our imperfections, our defects, but even so, he loves us, hears us, he helps us. We only don't have to abuse his goodwill, just as we would not want someone to abuse ours. God is justice too.
Writing all of this here in this post was almost like a "therapy." Everything I expose here I passed, I am passing and it is as if I recognize my mistakes. I hope that someone may have identified with what I have written and that we may all be more aware of our existence and our dealings with the divine, regardless of the faith we practice.
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Obrigado por ter lido o meu post!
Thanks for Reading My Post!
I will suggest that when you regularly turn to God even when you don't need help that it will make you stronger when the bad times come.
Yes...this is the correct :) Thank you!
Hi Jsantana,
Or, would it be alright if I just, for lack of knowing what the j stands for, call you J? I am new to the Steemit community J, so I don't want to presume that I know what is proper to comment about or not good to say, or even when to say something as impersonal as a "comment."
So, I will go ahead and throw caution to the wind because, as you say, if I'm wrong there are avenues to make it right.
I am a Husband, Dad, and Poppop so indulge that man for a moment while I humbly respond to your well thought out, and personal, post.
Our God is a Father who can be approached, and as you so ably have pointed out, anytime. Because of His well planned availability He is, and this may sound cliche, there for us.
A little something extra J,since you are not ashamed of His Love for us.
Genesis chapter 1 verse 1 & 2 states that, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the Earth. Now the earth was without form and was empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep. and ..... (now here is the cool part), the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
We always say "He" and "Father" because that is what His Son, Jesus, called him. But, did you know that the word "Hovering" in the original text was Feminine. And, it was more like a - Hen Brooding. So we can always see a mother hen gathering her chicks under her.
Also, one of the names of Jahweh, or Jehovah, was the name Almighty. This also is feminine and is a description of a mother nursing her child.
In a time when we are so in touch with gender typing I hoped you might want to ponder.... That God.
Especially when it's dark and empty.
Thanks for listening
Thanks for the friendly comment and it's okay to call me J. The J. is from Jammerson, my name.
On this gender issue, I do not dwell on my post. I am Catholic and the figure of Mary (a woman, mother of Jesus) is so venerated. In the Catholic tradition she is called "Mater Dei" (mother of God), so here we conclude how important a woman is in dealing with the divine. Mary is the Mother of God, see how sublime!
A big hug and thanks for the comment.
J. I see the feminine reference most definitely in Mary. However, the feminine reference in the Genesis record to her gender is in regard to most notably Sara. the grandmother of Israel. Who was born Jacob and was changed to Israel denoting his wrestling with God. And your post, We only turn to God when we are in difficulties. Not because of her marriage to Abraham but because of her inability to conceive and her being barren. A difficulty is she was to be a mother. And ultimately bringing both Mary and Jesus. As well as Joseph his Stepfather. And the entire race of Israelites and of course Jews as well.
I hold to the otherwise divine reference not to the Mother of God but the Family reference. I am in agreement with the subliminal characteristic of "Eve's" redemption after the fall.
His love for her was important to the extent that he made sure she was going to be comfortable after His death. Of course followed by burial and His ultimate purpose of resurrection from the dead. Ultimately he would ascend leaving John to care for her. A very tender story of a Son and his mother.
You got a 8.16% upvote from @brupvoter courtesy of @jsantana!