My Sunday Lesson

Sometimes I just do not understand the extremes of the world.  Why must everything be so divisive in today's society?  There seems to be almost no room for compromise.  No room for the blending of ideas for the betterment of the human race.  It truly puzzles me.  I am not a religious extremist, but I do have my beliefs and ideals.  I have my own relationship with God. One that is between Him and me alone.  I tend not to share that with many people because it is extremely precious to me and I am not out there to influence the world.  People are old enough to make their own choices and have their own beliefs.  

Recently, I have been thinking of a story that Dad told years ago.  I'm not sure where he heard it or where he read it, but it has always stuck with me:

As a great flood approached, a man stood on his porch as he watched the waters rise.  When the waters reached his porch, a row boat came by.  "Sir, please get in the boat with us and we will row you to safety," a man in the row boat said.  The man replied "I am fine here.  God will save me!"  The waters continued to rise and the man found himself hanging out of a 2nd story window.  A motorboat passing by stopped and the driver said "Come with us and be safe!"  to which the man replied "Be on your way, good man.  God will save me!" and the boat drove on.  When the flood waters peaked, the man found himself on his rooftop knee deep in water.  A rescue helicopter flew over the man's house, dropping a rope to him.  A voice shouted down to him "Grab the rope and let us take you to dry land."  The man waved the helicopter away, shouting back "God will save me!" and the helicopter flew away.

Needless to say, the man drowned in the flood.  When he arrived at Heaven's pearly gates, St. Peter approached him.  "What are you doing here?" St. Peter asked.  "It is not your time to enter Heaven."  "Beg pardon, St. Peter," the man replied, "but please check your list again.  Surely I am meant to be here."  St. Peter checked his list again and the man was not there.  When told of this, the man pleaded with St. Peter "There must be a mistake.  There was a great flood in which I drowned.  If God had wanted me kept on Earth, He would have saved me!!"  St. Peter looked the man straight in the eye then whacked him upside his head with the list.  "You idiot!" St. Peter screamed at him.  "He sent you two boats and a helicopter!!!  What more did you want?!!"

The point of my telling this story is that I believe that God not only gives us these challenges in our lives, such as a flood or a pandemic, but He also gives us the tools to fix the problem.  It is Him who gave us science and who gives us the knowledge to be able to take care of what's going on in this world.  I just do not get the people that think simply saying "God will save me" is enough.  That makes me sad that they do not see we have these tools sitting in front of us.  They are gifts from God and people ignore them.  Makes no sense to me and it disappoints.  

I will keep my faith in my way. I just wanted to share this story.  

Be Blessed!