Do you know God?!
I know this may cause a few people to frown and you know what - I don't really care! I wanted to post after the news that Madi's tumor was 100% removed and benign I wanted to say - "If you don't believe in God this is a good example of why you SHOULD!"
Well, after today's turn of events I am expressing this again! A friend of mine - her 6 year old daughter fell off their trampoline and they took her to the ER. They were told her neck was broken. They put her in a brace right away and rushed her away for a cat scan. After the scan the Dr. came back baffled - NOTHING was wrong with dear Abby but a scratched face! I have NO DOUBT between the first words of broken neck and when the dr. came back that God healed Abby!
So that is where my question comes from. Do you know God?! Because if you don't I encourage you to get to know Him! He is mighty and powerful and my life has been changed because of my relationship with Him! :-)
Re: Do you know God?!
Sorry to hear that! Remember God loves you and is there for you no matter what! I hope you find your way back to Him! :-)
Here is a very powerful song with a great message!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MniOtRnCO9I
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like the god from the bible?
i don't think that ("He") is the only reasonable explanation...in fact, I tend to believe in explanations that seem MORE reasonable to me.
to each their own. glad you are happy with god
I believe in God, we have some interesting talks over the years
So glad your friends daughter is just fine....talk about scary......she definitely had some Angels with her.
Yes. I do. I give Him thanks and praise for these girls' recovery.
I love God with all my heart! I believe in His promise and I am thankful for His abounding grace and mercy. I also believe that even at my worse He still loves me and blesses me in spite of my shortcomings.
Having said that...I also know and respect those who believe differently from me. I have friends who are of different religious backgrounds and some who don't believe in God at all. While I don't feel it's my "job" to convert my Muslim or Jewish friends to Catholicism, I do feel it's my responsibility to be a true example of God's love to people I interact with. If someone chooses to learn more about God and chooses build a relationship with Him after interacting with me, wonderful. And if they don't, that's fine, too. I know and realize that each person's spirituality is a personal choice and whatever path a person decides to take is completely up to them.
Great topic! Glad that your friend's daughter is OK...God works things out in His own unique way!
Lemme chime in here, for a minute. ; )
I have never been a big church go-er or prayer. I do believe in God, I was had my first communion and all that stuff.
BUT let me tell you... until something like this happens you may never believe like I do now!! The FIRST thing I thought about when I saw/heard the word tumor was God! I asked him right away to guide us through this and heal her. That same night, after we got settled, the Chaplain came and talked to us for quite awhile. He made us feel SOO good, not only because he is such a kind hearted, amazing man, but because he tought us how to be closer to God. He taught us how to ask him for help, and how to thank him. He taught us how to not place the blame on him and question why things happen.
Of course, I would give just about anything for this to not have happened to my baby, but I can tell you that something good will, and already has, come from it! It has brought my family so much closer, it has taught us to appriciate the small things and look at life in a much more beautiful light. It also gave me more friends! I can't believe how awesome you guys have been, so I am so thankful that I am closer to some of you girls!
Even if I personallu didn't ask God for help through all of this, He was everywhere! We got an anonymous letter from someone who found out about Madi through his church. I don't believe in coincidence. Madi has angels all around her, how can she not?!
I LOVE YOU BRITT!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-)
I have always gone to church and was saved at an early age. I thank God for keeping me out of a lot of trouble. Knowing God doesn't mean you will never be hurt or have everything go your way. Sin and bad things happen in the world, but it's not God who is causing it. I never question him though while I was going through all the IF treatments and wanting a baby so badly. I put my trust in Him and knew he would answer my prayers and maybe a child wasn't in the plans. When we adopted Ben I knew that God had been preparing us for him. When I completely turned everything over to Him, we got the call the next day about Ben.
Miracles happen and they are definitely a product of God's Handiwork.
A LOT of courage! I do know God and I totally agree with you. HUGS!
I do believe in God, and I do have a relationship with Him. There have been several instances in my life where I have felt God's influence.
However, I tend to see God in the same way that early American thinkers saw him: as a kind of heavenly clock-maker or clock winder, but with little will or maybe little power to influence day to day events. I do think that God can work his will through humans. I call it "grace" when an individual is able to push aside whatever concerns about themselves exist and open a little door for God's will to come through and be acted upon in our world by that individual.
So, I don't look at it like God "gave" Madi a brain tumor or that because people prayed hard enough or because it was God's will, Madi's operation was successful. God created the possibility for people to have brain tumors through a system of genetics or through environmental factors. Through His grace, humans have developed the scientific knowledge and technology to sometimes successfully remove brain tumors. I still give thanks to God for this, and I still prayed for Madi's operation to be a success, though.
Interesting conversation.
As for the question. Yes, I do know God. He's been very good to me. Life hasn't been perfect, but that's because I'm an imperfect person living in an imperfect world.
I work with wonderful people every day enduring all kinds of suffering. But my faith, and most often theirs, still endures.
Struggling in this life is inevitable. I'd much rather do it with God than without. I've tried it both ways. There is no comparison.
He cares. He truly does. I've given up a lot to do what I do. It is has been worth it.
This exactly!!! I truley don't think that God gave Madi a tumor. I don't think God made the operation successful. Just as I don't think God is the one who "takes" babies who are not as lucky as Madi.
I'm glad that it brought the family closer and good things came out of all the bad....but YOU did that. I don't think that God sits around making decisions on who lives and who dies, who suffers and who doesn't.
I'm not a really religious person....I feel like I have my own relationship with God and hold a lot of the beliefs that lots of other people have...but that being said, I think our God is a good God and that if He had a choice He would never bring harm to anyone, no matter the outcome, or how many people it brings closer to Him.
I'm SOOOOOO happy Madi is ok!!!!
these lines of thinking match my feelings for the most part. I don't have an ongoing relationship with any god. I live my life, try to be a good person. I put faith in myself, my family and friends to make good choices.
Bad things happen - and I don't understand why. But I don't blame a "devil" figure anymore than I give credit to a "god" figure for the good things. People make choices, random crap happens - good and bad.
And yes, I am very thankful and sent positive thoughts to Madi for recovery. I do believe in the power of positive thinking (or prayer if you'd like to call it that).
Ditto. I was raised Catholic but just can't match my feelings to any organized belief system. To be honest, the super-religious kind of freak me out-- I can't imagine being that wrapped up in something that no one's seen or proven exists!
Lurking here...I saw T and P needed on another board and wanted to check in. All I can say is...Thank you, God!
I am proud of this poster not trying to make everyone happy, but expressing her faith! I believe and love Him as well. Life isn't fair and bad things happen to good people all the time...good thing we have Jesus durring those times and all times.
i also have one more thing to say, lol
no one gets through life unscathed. everyone has their trials and tribulations to go through and if you have some type of faith - whatever or whomever that maybe to help you get through those times that is GREAT!
From a true God believer here
to each their own. If we did not have SOMETHING to believe in.....spirit.....faith........whatever you choose to call it than we would all be in straight jackets.........life throws too many curve balls not to have something to mentally fall back on and give up our worries to.
Very interesting conversation...
First of all, Britt, your post made me cry. Second of all, Jess, kudos to you for being so open about your faith.
I have grown up in the church and of course God, church, and faith are all a big part of my life. I don't think that it is just non-believers that question why bad things happen to good and innocent human beings. I do it all the time. It breaks my heart. I also don't understand how non-believers make it through such times. When something is going on in my life, it is comforting to know that I have my God to cry out to, and He is there, and He listens. And life is so much better with Him in it.
This is exactly how I feel. A kindergartener at my school just went to her 18 month old sister's funeral, because the baby was (allegedly) shaken by a family friend/babysitter. I have a hard time buying into the logic that anything good is due to God, but anything bad is somehow out of God's control (isn't He supposedly all-powerful?) or part of some top-secret plans that we just can't understand. Allowing a baby to die without her parents there to comfort her is not on my list of qualities I'm looking for in a God, so I choose to believe there isn't one--that's terrifying as well, but less so to me than worshipping a being who tortures people to "teach them a lesson" or whatever the explanation is that the Bible gives.
On the other hand, I understand why people ARE religious and see that it does a lot of good for many people, so if that's the case for you, more power to ya. I think the way Madi's story turned out is awesome, but there are so many children out there whose stories ended tragically...I just can't fathom a God who would be making that choice and pulling those strings, you know?
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