Joicy,
That was very well put. Sometimes it is hard when God's answer to our prayers is
no. Any loving parent cannot give their child everything they want, sometimes they
are unable to give their kids even the child's heart's desire. And so it is with
God. It is a hard lesson to learn, especially in matters of the heart.
When I was a child the only thing I wanted was for my dad not to drink anymore. I
prayed and prayed and while I was growing up it never did come true. I was very
angry at God, and I didn't understand why God didn't just fix my dad for me. I
thought it was a very reasonable request. Unfortuntaly, no one explained it to me.
I gave up on God for a while, untill I began to understand. My faith has grown, I
am no longer mad at God, and I am a much stronger person. And I am happy to say
that my father no longer drinks.
It is so good that you are discussing this with your childern now, so that they can
understand, and maybe they won't turn away from God. See I didn't know that you
could be angry at God and that was okay. I know it now. And I get disappointed
when the answer to my prayers is no, but I don't take it personal, it is no longer
something that God is doing to me.
I don't know if this helps or not.
Sheila
Joicy Becker-Richards wrote:
> Oh, Bernie, it's so good that you're talking to them about it. I know
> too well that fear for loved ones about what might happen if they don't
> get the answers they want from God. But anger is a pretty natural part
> of grief and healing, and scriptures (especially the Old Testment) show
> that many of God's people were angry with him at times. I guess it 's
> part of any intimate relationship.
>
> But I hear your deeper fear; what if he becomes so angry with God that
> this situation causes him to lose faith in God? For starters, at some
> point in time, everyone faces situations we wish had turned out
> differently. It's a crossroads of sorts, and we have to choose. Is God
> trustworthy, or not? If he really cares about me, why do these things
> happen? It helps to face those tough questions when you already have a
> loving relationship with God, but I've known many adult believers to
> struggle with this; it's where faith is really tested. It's hard to see
> your son face it so early in life, but if it wasn't this, it would have
> come eventually, and that's something we can't protect anyone from.
>
> Another question that surfaces is, can I be angry with God and still be
> in relationship with him? The answer to that is a definite yes. In fact,
> anger can be the beginning of a truly authentic reltionship with God (it
> was for me, and very liberating, too, to be able to admit it), but many
> people don't realize that, and so they deny or try to hide the anger
> they feel. It can be a relief to know that it's ok -- God knows how you
> feel and he can take it.
>
> So keep talking with both your sons. Name the demons, let them name
> their demons, let them know about your own ambivalent feelings....and
> that in spite of it all, you know God is there and cares. You're in my
> thoughts and prayers, Bernie. May God give you the words, but more
> importantly, the peace in your heart that will speak louder than words.
> Love, Joicy
>
> Beth4770@aol.com wrote:
> >
> > Dear Joicy,
> > You are so right "the One who made them does love them even more" I am just
> > concerned that if they pray and don't get the answers that they want that they
> > will be angry with God. We have had a lot of conversations about this. My
> > youngest (12) wants to be a priest (we are Catholic) so he is pretty ok
> > about it all. The older one (14) is at "that age" and may be a harder sell.
> > Have a great day.
> > Love Bernie
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