“You see things, and you say, Why? But I dream things that never were and say, Why not.” ~ George Bernard Shaw
It’s natural to ask why? Children often ask why. It’s one thing to ask why to understand something better, but it changes everything when we personalize it and start asking why me? As we grow up, the root of our problem grows with us. The source of the human problem is extreme self-centeredness; in most religious circles, they refer to it as original sin. We all struggle with individualism and live in a culture that promotes this way of life. The repercussion of living on self-propulsion is that we constantly ask, “WHY ME,” because it’s all about us.
There is a fictitious story about a person walking along a road kicking an empty can. They were putzing along, sulking, and obsessing about their life when they angrily looked up toward the sky and shouted, “WHY ME GOD?” Suddenly, the sky became very dark; the clouds started rolling, and lighting and thunder began flashing and clashing all around them. Then the clouds parted, and God’s GIANT hand and wrist came down out of the sky, and God’s hand rotated into a flicking motion and flicked the person right on the forehead, and God said in a subtle voice, “because there is something about you that gets under my skin.”
We must learn to move away from the question of why to what is. What is the root cause of the why? Instead of obsessing over why me, we must learn to shift our thinking to what is. What is it that God wants me to do next? What is it that I can do to be of maximum service to others? Victimization is a deadly position to be stuck in. We must pray for the willingness to toss the victim card. We will most likely need help to do so, so we humble ourselves and get the assistance we need and deserve.
The problem with victimization is that we can drown in our sorrows, and we don’t believe it’s our fault. We can drink and drug ourselves to death, and we don’t think it’s our fault. We can sit in jail or prison for years if not for the rest of our lives, and we don’t believe that it’s our fault. We can remain in an abusive relationship, and we don’t think it’s even partially our fault for choosing to stay. We can blow our nostrils out, blow our lungs out, blow our veins out, and even blow our brains out, and we don’t believe that it’s our fault. Life is hard, and many have had tough hands to play, but regardless of the hand we have been dealt, the solution is the same for all of us. We need to quit asking why and instead invite God to reside at the center of our lives. With the Holy Spirit empowering our thoughts and actions, we cannot fail; we will be victorious in the end, despite our present circumstances.
What area of your life are you still clinging to your victim card?
You are encouraged to seek help, so you can finally let go and let God!
God of love, thank You for my life today. You know my story and the challenging hand I have been dealt. It’s tough, God, and sometimes it just sucks. Please grant me the willingness, humility, and ability to toss my victim card and instead replace it with the desire to love You, love others, so I can help change the world. I cannot change my past; all I can change is my attitude and actions, and even that’s only possible with Your power, love, grace, and mercy directing my life. My God, I give you my heart, please cleanse me, and set me free from the bondage of self and my victim mentality. In Your Spirit and Name, I pray these things. May Your will not mine always materialize, now and forever. Amen.
(Image Source: Dewang Gupta / www.unsplash.com)
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