I was listening to an interview on the news recently with a local businessman who has been very successful. His company created a product that has taken off and has made him oodles and boodles of money. This isn’t a post of jealousy, hell I am happy for the guy, I know the guy. He is a smart and hardworking cat. What pisses me off is not his success but that he proclaims, for all the world to hear, that he gives all the credit to God.
Now this guy has an advance degree in rocket science, so he is smart. His Daddy is a rich rocket scientist too. His DNA and gene pool is more advanced than mine. Did God wave some magic wand over his head and grant him this? Yea, I don’t think so. Did God sprinkle this guy and his family with some kind of special “smart & successful” dust? Again, I don’t think so. Why would a God single this guy out with glory, fame and riches while my good friend was struck done in the prime of his life withering away in his bed with Multiple Sclerosis? Is that fair? Is the equitable?
I understand why people make these kind of statements. Saying that I owe all of my success to God sounds better, at least in the South, than “I am just one incredibly smart human being”. Honestly, that is what I would rather hear. Why would a God bless this guy and then kick my friend in the nuts? Again, no sour grapes, I happy for his success. He has worked hard to make his product a reality but please take a little credit for it.
It would seem to me that God would have more on her mind than his bank account, and new lake house. How about the single mother working at McDonald’s who doesn’t have the $500 to pay her rent this month. Is this part of God’s plan too? Or my friend, who is basically dying a slow death, why didn’t he get any of that God fairy dust?
I am happy for this successful businessman. He is a nice guy from a wonderful family. He can afford all the fun toys life has to offer but don’t give all the credit to God. It cheapens the accomplishment, and short changes the rest of us. Why wasn’t I worthy of all this good fortune? Why weren’t you?
If you are waiting for God to reach down and give you some road map to make your life complete how is it going? Are you still waiting? Better yet, how long do you plan on waiting? Just asking, just asking.
Ends and Beginnings 
(you knew I had to)
I have no way of knowing exactly what your successful business man means when he gives God credit, so I won’t pretend to speak for him. I can only tell you what I mean…and what many people mean…when we give credit to God.
What’s God got to do with it? Everything. When you get to the place…either through failure or success…illness or blessings…where you look at your life as if it were like a roll-playing game and the events in your life as if they were signals and clues, you begin to see how certain traits of yours cause set-backs and certain behaviors create problems and not solutions. Then you look back on your life and see how certain failures or missed opportunities have put you where you are…and with the experiences you have. You begin to believe that there is an Almighty Mind watching what you do and wanting you to respond accordingly. You stop striving and stop working your own (or someone else’s) agenda and you sit still for a bit and listen and watch…open for insights. You realize there are obstacles to hearing… like resentment, jealousy, regret, fear. You try to get rid of them on your own…but they don’t go. There is also impatience, greed, and desire for fame. You can’t seem to shake that, either. Then something happens. In my case, I lost my job wrongfully. Some people have an accident or get sick or a child gets killed. Something happens and you have no answers so you lay it all out there…and leave it…for God to pick it up. And He does. When you have lost everything or giving it all up, then the signals become much easier to hear and see.
But, dearest, almost always, all of this happens in private…in secret. When you ask someone how they accomplished something, they aren’t going to tell you the whole long ordeal…unless it’s the wee hours and it’s y’all’s second or third single-barrel. The short answer is “I give credit to God.”
God did not single this guy out. This Guy singled God out. This guy, at some point in his life, turned the controls over and took the back seat. Some guys are fortunate in that they are born into a culture where the habit of laying it out at His feet and listening for His messages is well established. Many…most…are not. I was not. But I know the terrain.
It probably rubs you a bit when you hear Dabo give credit to God. I was taken aback when I heard him make a different comment. See my post https://todaysteachablemoment.wordpress.com/2016/11/19/we-still-control-our-destiny/
jus sayin’ jus sayin’
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Look, if that works for you, if it makes you a more caring and compassionate person, if it creates a rock for you to stand on, I am okay with it. But in my little feeble mind it’s a bigger picture, more than just hocus pocus but hey I ain’t the smartest rock in the pasture.
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BTW, the origin of ‘hocus pocus’ is likely the Latin phrase “Hoc est corpus” which means “This is my body,” words spoken by Christ. It refers to the seemingly ‘magical’ process which occurs when one ‘takes’ communion. I say ‘seemingly magical’ because people who do not understand the workings of things spiritual, think it must be ‘magical’ because all that would be left (to their way of thinking) is mental trickery or slight of hand.
You are correct, dearest, it is a bigger picture than the small aspect I conveyed; What I have given a glimpse of is The Big Picture. It does not involve wands or pocket-gods. It is a matter of aligning one’s heart with the heart of All That Is…one’s mind with the Almighty Mind.
My belief does not make me caring and compassionate. I have always been empathetic, caring, and sensitive. My aligning my heart and mind with God helps me recognize and let go of resentments, anger, fear, etc. which leaves the good stuff.
I have had a very hard life…all 61.7 years of it. I spent the first 59.8 years clinging to the rock of safe, secure belief, i.e., no faith. When I lost everything I loved, and nearly lost my life, I no longer had anything to cling to. I let go…
I now have no use for safe, secure rocks of belief. I do not belong to a church…not even a membership to a denomination. I follow no doctrine or dogma. I do not go through anyone else’s connection to God. I work daily to keep clear and strong (as clear and strong as it can be) my own personal awareness of and communication with God.
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My friend is lying in his bed this morning. He can’t get up, he can’t stand and walk to the bathroom, he can’t feed himself. He is young, my age. He has lived an exemplary life and now, he is wasting away, dying slowly. Was this part of God’s plan?
My friend who killed himself 4 years ago leaving a great family behind wondering why. God’s plan?
Shit happens and shit happens not because God is playing chess and we are the pawns it is just how life goes.
So to the guy who credits all his success to “the glory of God”, the big house, the lake house, private school for his kids, and the new Maserati why you? Why has your God chosen you for all this while my friend rots away. I am sure you have an answer, all believers seem to have the answers the problem is I disagree with your questions.
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I, too, have had a hard life. My parents did not want another daughter and did not approve of me or my life choices as I grew up…until the days they died. I have struggled with bipolar disorder…as do my children. My husband left me with a 5 DAY OLD son and a 2 year old daughter and I was working full time to support us. My son has severe heart defects and will not live out a full life. My daughter has cerebral palsy. I was a successfully creative, productive scientist and programmer for 22 years but was deemed “not credible” and “not worth listening to” by my superiors and co-workers. I am a talented artist, photographer, and writer but none of my efforts have brought me income or fame. I now suffer from fibromyalgia and arthritis and live in a 60-year-old single-wide and the floor are falling in.
My view points may seem callous at first look but life has worn callouses on me and I have chosen to systematically peel those callouses off and keep the vulnerable pink skin exposed. Life is hard. It is meant to be hard. Those who have the strongest, truest faith in God have usually suffered the most. The harder the life, the stronger the faith. “Faith is like a kite; it rises in an opposing wind.”
Hard times, ‘bad’ stuff, pain, illness, debilitation loss,…
If someone seeks to understand the why of life, these things can be used as impetus.
I do not recall posing any questions.
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There is no ‘plan.’ There is no script. We are not pawns. We have free will. As your friend says below, we come into this life having chosen the main aspects. After that, we make choices and decisions. God is dynamic and Real…and we are part of It. We are in It and spiritual, whether we believe it or not. We as human beings have the ability to blow ourselves up if we chose or we can individually and collectively acknowledge our spiritual natures and co-create a different outcome. Your friend’s life is not over.
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And I will address one more point: the goal of life is not “the big house, the lake house, private school for his kids, and the new Maserati;” the goal of life is, in the midst of the battle, to choose to locate and to adhere to God…acknowledging our spiritual reality. There is much joy, beauty, pain, struggle, disaster, bliss, prosperity, and loss…in the process.
The guy who credits his success to the Glory of God may, in fact, still be off base at this point in his life; his life is not over and he may make advances regarding his spiritual relationships. However, he is still accurate in giving God credit. What people misread is an implication that he has received favor. I may give my mother credit for teaching me how to set the table, when I present a nice spread at Thanksgiving; it is not because my mother favored me over my sister.
“…all believers seem to have the answers…”
I cannot speak for ‘all believers,’ however, I can say that when someone tells you what they ‘know,’ that the best they can do is tell you what they ‘know’ right then. I continue to learn. Statements made by me in previous posts are sometimes an embarrassment to me. But, as stated in a previous post, my new watch-word is ‘Allow.’ I am a believer but my beliefs are not static; my opinions are my own and my belief is a ‘theory,’ because so far it holds up. It will likely evolve as time passes. I hope it does…
You know that blessings in this life are not Christmas presents rewarding good behavior. Frustration and discomfort when someone gives God credit likely stems from a bit of sand.
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Dear, I have thought about your friend all day. I am unable to say anything that would relieve your friend’s misery…or your frustration. Just know that I am mindful.
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If you are interested, I relate an example of what I refer to below as my ‘daily work,’ in my post https://todaysteachablemoment.wordpress.com/2017/01/13/man-aint-this-fun/
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Very well said. I think it is long past due that we start taking back our power. We are not god’s chess pieces. In my own personal view, I feel we chose in advance the main events of our lives. We also have free will, which means we can choose to change our mind’s about experiencing these events and/or choose how we handle it. I know this view point sounds harsh to some. I know I find it difficult to accept that I would choose to lose two babies and an adult son but knowing it was mine and my children’s choices for certain reasons gives me the power. I do not feel the need to look at others and think that god loves me less because of my difficult life or that god loves me more because my life was easier than someone else’s. We are powerful creators. When we realize that we are not chess pieces or robots and we are powerful, we can then choose how to handle our situations. We cannot control events external to ourselves; however, we can control our own behavior and we react to them.
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“We are powerful creators.” – Amen
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I hope you do not find my comment offense. This is my own personal viewpoint and I do not expect others to share it with me.
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Love that you took the time to read my post and add your valuable perspective….thank you!
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Just so you know, when I prayed for God to help during the Clemson game, my prayer was specific and my prayer was not for Clemson to win. I saw how Deshaun took a blow across the head. I watched him and others received some pretty rattling hits. I also noticed Deshaun was not smiling. He seemed stunned and not his usual focused self.
My prayer was specific. It was 14-0. I prayed for God to make His presence felt by Deshaun and the other members of the team. I prayed for Jesus to be present on the field because I knew Deshaun and others would feel it. I prayed hard and loud…on my feet. Then I put on my Clemson socks and wrapped in my Clemson blanket and watched as Deon Cain made the play they needed.
Deshaun Watson: “We needed a spark and he (Cain) gave us that spark and that got the offense going.”
Deshaun was then back to his old self again.
jus sayin’
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one more point, then I’ll leave it alone…especially since you’ve withdrawn the question. I paint a very simple ‘do this…get that’ picture. I’m not that gullible. The formula I presented above does not always work for several reasons but the most important: I can not know the mind of God. We therefore cannot predict nor control the outcome of someone’s life. (see https://todaysteachablemoment.wordpress.com/2016/12/17/the-purpose-of-bad-things/)
By telling the world (2 views, actually) that I prayed for God to help Clemson win the game may have sounded like I thought Clemson could not defeat Alabama without divine intervention. Quite the contrary…I Knew they could; I just wanted Someone to remind Deshaun what he already knew, too..
Do the Clemson Tigers deserve credit for their victory. Absolutely. They deserve credit for all of it…including the inclusion of God.
Now, I’ll leave you alone and go to bed.
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Go Tigers, sleep tight 🙂
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My grandpappy always advised me to never argue with a man whose god sat in heaven with a magic wand blessing some people and damning others. Unwinnable situation. My perverse humor, when I read your post, took me to Flip Wilson and Geraldine…”the devil made me do it.” Damn, I loved that show.
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Safe advice!
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Great advice
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Pingback: “I only have courage to talk this way because these are not just my ideas!” – Today's Teachable Moment
Oops, trod on some toes! I have another idea about the inequality of God’s “blessings”, but I’m not a Christian, its simply karma. Karma has nothing to do with God. Most of the people of the world believe in reincarnation and karma.
About successful people – I worked free lance for a magazine, and all I did was write about “successful people”. Everyone of them believed “something” guided them and was responsible for their success.
I am more optimistic than you. I think “god” is a personal revelation and that can help people, no matter what their situation. And spiritually FAITH comes first – asking asking is useless without it!
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I wouldn’t categorize myself as a pessimist. I have a view of something greater than all of us whatever name or label people wish to give it. I don’t doubt some “successful people” were guided by something but that something could be guilt, shame, poverty, or just some inner dynamic spirit or drive (see Steve Jobs). I think it cheapens the faith to give all the credit to God. There are other people in that same line wondering what they have done wrong not to gain just a little piece of God’s favor when they get evicted from their apartment or their old car dies on them again. I think it is disingenuous for all, and in my neck of the woods I do mean all, rich people to claim “God has really been good to me” when their neighbors are struggling. I guess Trump will fix it. Thanks for reading, and yea I like stepping on a few toes from time to time but hopefully I am not offensive, but I am sure some will be.
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