Originally Posted by
johnmawson
I felt the same way! I couldn't understand why God was doing this to me.. But here's what somebody very wise once told me, that helped me out, and got me to stop thinking this was a bad thing, but more of a blessing.
"Imagine this scenario for a second. You are a farmer (human) who owns cattle near a main road in Northern California... You do your best to look out for the cattle, and you truly care about them.
The next few weeks, you notice that your cattle is decreasing each day. And the culprit, a big brown bear.
Now you the farmer who loves ALL creatures big and small, good and "bad". Does not want to hurt the bear, but you don't want your cattle being killed either.
You also know that the bear who is able to break through the gates and fences unlike the cattle, is soon to wonder into the middle of the road and cause a tragic accident.
So what do you do?
You put down a bunch of bear traps on the outskirts of the farm, knowing that when the bear is caught, you will be able to relocate him away form mainland into his natural environment.
What happens?
The bear walks right into the trap and is stuck.
What the bear is thinking - "That farmer is making me suffer, why does he hate me, what did I do wrong, why does he want to punish and kill me...?"
What the farmer is thinking - This pain may be temporary, but this is for your own safety and the safety of others.
What happens next, is the farmer, fearing the bear ripping his foot off, and injuring the farmer, gets out his tranquilizer gun and puts the bear to sleep.
What does the bear think - "This farmer is going to kill me.. Why do I deserve this... This is terrible...nothing good can come of this"
What does the farmer think - "Good, now the bear will not endanger himself, and he will not feel pain"
The farmer then relocates the bear into the wild and stitches up the leg, gives him some heavy painkillers, and puts a cast on it, that will naturally wear away in a few days (be creative here, i know this is a little bit of a stretch but I'm sure you follow)
What does the bear think "The farmer has poisoned me.. I can't feel my leg! I can't walk very good, and he has graffitied me with a cloth on my leg..."
What does the farmer think "The bear will be safe now. He has painkillers to stop the pain until it naturally passes, and a nice cast on his leg that will stop the wound from getting infected. He is now in his natural habitat, where he will be able to live a long life undisturbed by civilization."
Now the farmer is like God in this scenario, and we are like the bear!
We will NEVER have the wisdom of God, just like the bear will never have the wisdom of the human farmer.
We may think that things are so bad and that we don't deserve them. But we can't see things from God's perspective. And even though we think what we are going through is bad, we can't yet see the good it has to bring, in this life or the next.
For me, I had anxiety for 18 years, and I have overcome it now.
I believe God gave me anxiety and the strength and knowledge to overcome it, so that I could do just that, and inspire, encourage and help other people round the world do just that too. And that is what I have done, and am continuing to do.
My free book, and website's links are on my page if you want to check them out