Who ever said . . .

While growing up I often would say or hear "that's not fair!", and my mother's reply would be "no one ever said life was fair" Her response would anger me in my quest for justice, but it was the honest truth. A truth that I feel the world cannot accept. I see people around me everyday looking for their justice and their fairness, and it usually comes at the expense of someone else's perceived justice or fairness.

I just read an article by Michael D. Warden titled "Thou Shalt Live Comfortably-And Other Things God Never Promised". In it, he talks about how we tell ourselves, "You have a right to this. You deserve to have nice things. You should be comfortable. Your life should be free of pain. You should be happy—and always, always entertained." How true, we justify everything we do and every dollar we throw away on non needed things.

He points out 3 Lies.
Lie #1: You have the right to a comfortable life.
Lie #2: You have the right to be entertained.
Lie #3: You have the right to be free from pain.
Where, please tell me, do we get these from (other than the media)? I mean, I catch myself believing them too, and yet I know they are lies. How often do you justify a purchase with a "well, I (or the kids)(or my husband) deserve(s) this" because I sure know I do.

It makes me think about the Israelites after being freed from the Egyptians and all they did was complain because they felt they deserved better. Which leads me to want to correct my "bad attitude" on life and the "why isn't life fair" attitude.

Then I saw that James MacDonald has just such a study! Hopefully, I can find a class that is working through it! "Lord, change my attitude"

Then the following verse jumped out at me:
Luke 9:23 -- Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me".
Now, let me re-write this to show you how I read it "If you Cheryl are to come after me, you must deny yourself and carry Eli's weight, cost, burdens & needs, and care for Fadi and Kaden in the way I have laid out, and you need to find me daily in my word and live it out daily."

Wow, I feel like I have just been slapped in the face by God.