[Note: I am not saying this is necessarily what I truly believe, but I like to play the devil’s advocate and instigate discussion, especially on religious topics, so read and share what you think on the matter]
Okay, so a week ago tonight I had planned to randomly show up at the church where several of my buddies attend. Whelp, I got home from work about 5:15ish and went through my “just got home routine”…AKA checked email, blogs, etc. I ended up getting wrapped up in something online; I think it was surfing potential prisoner pen pals…HA! Anyways, next thing I knew I looked down at the clock and it was 6:20ish or so and I hadn’t eaten anything, nor changed clothes or anything, and since the church began at 7 PM and it is about 20 to 25 minutes away (with no traffic), and I didn’t know where my friends sat, and I didn’t want to go in late, I decided not to go and that maybe I’d give it a try next week.
Well today I was sitting at work at about 4:30 PM when I got a phone call from a buddy of mine that attends that church I had planned to go to. Well I had TOTALLY forgot it was Wednesday and hadn’t even thought about church till she called me to ask if I was planning on going again this week. So I thought, sure, why not. Well I got home…did my routine and got myself ready and left about 6:25 in efforts to still get there early and be able find my friends.
Whelp, at 7 PM I was less than 5 miles from my house. I had sat in traffic because of a wreck for more than 30 minutes and was still about 15 or 20 minutes from the church by 7 PM, which was about when I passed the wreck.
So here is where I begin the thoughts….
Was this a “sign?” Was I not meant to attend church tonight?
It’s funny because I know all the die-hards out there are right now saying, “Of course not! God would never intend for someone NOT to go to church.”
But what I find so funny is how those same people can find purpose and meaning in everything and relate it back to God. They seem to be the people that don't believe in coincidence or things "just happening" without reason. So in this instance did God not want me to go to church? I mean let’s face it, I’m not a normal attendee and the one time I’m like, “Okay, I’m going tonight” this happens.
And if the traffic wasn’t enough, get this…
So then when I turned around to go back home, I realized I was going to be going right by Wal-Mart, which I hate having to drive out to, just because of traffic and shear laziness to be honest…HA! So I thought, well, since I’m out here I might as well just stop in since I need to go sometime in the next few days for looking to get some of those last few things on my list.
So I turn into Wal-Mart and, no joke, the first aisle I turned down a car backed out of the second to end spot closest to the store! Is that luck?! Or was that a “sign?” A lot of people say there is no such thing as “luck” or “coincidence,” so that would make that a “sign” then, huh? Did God mean for me to be at Wal-Mart tonight (even as funny as that sounds…HA!).
And it gets better…
If you read my blog a few back you recall the TERRIBLE time I had this past weekend looking for bras. That’s right, you saw it coming--did God mean for me to go to Wal-Mart tonight to get an AMAZING parking spot AND to find 3 perfect bras within 15 minutes of being in the store!?! I mean I had spent more than two hours at two different stores this past weekend trying to find ONE bra and came up empty, much less THREE (not to mention a whole HECK of a lot cheaper than the ones I was looking at this weekend…HA!) AND…I sure did get two other things while there from my list of remaining items to pick up before school starts back up!
Sooo…this is where I ask all you “everything in life has a purpose—God’s purpose” people, how do you interpret my night tonight? ;)
And let me just start a lot of y’alls thoughts for you…let me guess…. “this was the devil working…” HA! ;) Did the devil put the wreck there and tempt me with the decision to not keep going on to church anyways once I passed the wreck, even though I would have been at least 20 minutes late getting in the doors?
Hmmm…I just think the “this happened because it was God’s purpose” idea can be played both ways…it has to be considered on both sides of the coin...I suppose what I'm saying is...
Two can play this game… ;)
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3 comments:
Bottom Line: You can play the guessing game as to whether it was a "sign" or "luck/coincidence" all you want. You'll be guessing for a long time.
You can say that God didn't want you to go to church, or that Satan didn't want you to go church. You can say that God wanted you to be at Wal-Mart to get a great parking spot and 3 bras, or you can say that Satan wanted you to be at Wal-Mart. Then, you start questioning, "what would have happened if I would have gone to church 20 minutes late?" "If I had left any earlier, would that have been me in that car accident? Did He save me from something?" "Was it Satan that kept me from going last week?" Or, "Does God just not want me in church?"
I believe in luck and in coincidence...but, I also believe that everything happens for a reason. And, I choose to believe that God has a purpose for the things He places in my life. Do I think He sends us trivial things like bras and parking places? Maybe. I like to think that He gives us little "pick-me-ups" when He knows we need them. I will say though, don't give up on trying to make it to church on Wednesday nights. You'll get there!
So, is it luck or a sign? Tell me what you think from an agnostic's point of view.
I probably could have told you to shop at Wal-mart for Bras. It's the best place to get them and cheap too! But...if I would have you may not have been so proud of the Bras you found last night. Is that a sign....HA! I think you read my mind from when you last wrote that post.
You bring up the most interesting topic for which no evidence of any kind can be compiled to strengthen each of our opinions. I often think about signs as a basis for "Did I make the right decision"? Someone once told me you cannot know that you made the right decision until everything plays out from the move that you make. If everything goes well then you made the right decision or God was with you. If it goes wrong then you made the wrong decision and you went in the way of the devil. Yeah, right.
I would hate to think that my life was controlled by something or someone I have never seen. Everything we do has a consequence/benefit. In a way we control our environment that we live in by how we think or do things. I can defend any action I make or anything that happens by the way I think or construe a situation. I make my own interpretation of the “signs” I see from my own mind. Now that is power, but are my own thoughts and interpretations a “sign” for what I should do or how I should do it? Is the consequence of someone else’s action (In your case Kim) a sign for if you should go to church or not? I would hate to think that God controls every aspect of our lives. If everything happens for a reason and we are controlled by external events from God then where does that leave free will? Did God decide that Kim shouldn’t go to church or did Kim decide that.
But then again, I guess you could go back and ask was this a sign from God or Satan, however you would still be running around in circles.
Kim,
There, of course, is no sure way of knowing. However, I look at it this way: What IF fate put those obstacles in your path to help you avoid something horrific (i.e, being involved in a deadly wreck)? Perhaps you were protected by someone elses fate. God protects us if we allow him to, even if it means not getting to go to a church service. Also, if you weren't meant to go to church, maybe it was just for that one night. Oh well, God works in mysterious ways. It sounds so simple and childlike, but the simple is often ample. Perhaps then, God did something good for you: the 3 good bras -- ones you had been needing. Isn't it ironic?
In conclusion, one can say it was God or one can say it was Satan -- both may be plausible but only you can decide. Look within. Muah haha.
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