{"id":73730,"date":"2022-12-12T20:13:35","date_gmt":"2022-12-13T02:13:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites-stage.josh.org\/main\/?p=72139"},"modified":"2025-08-06T13:19:47","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T18:19:47","slug":"i-wont-blame-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites-stage.josh.org\/main\/i-wont-blame-god\/","title":{"rendered":"I Won’t Blame God For Very Bad Days"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Have you ever had a day like this? A Terrible, Horrible<\/a>, No Good, Very Bad Day <\/i>where one thing after another keeps piling up, as it did for Job, one of the Bible’s most inspiring characters?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u201cOne day \u2026 a messenger came to Job<\/a><\/strong> and said, \u2018…the Sabeans attacked\u2026\u2019<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

While he was still speaking, another<\/em> messenger came and said, \u2018…fire\u2026burned up the sheep and the servants\u2026\u2019
\n<\/span>While he was still speaking, another<\/em> messenger came and said, \u2018The Chaldeans\u2026swept down on your camels\u2026\u2019
\n<\/span>While he was still speaking, yet another<\/em> messenger came and said, \u2018Your sons and daughters \u2026 are dead\u2026\u2019\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In all this Job did not \u2026 blame God.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"blame<\/p>\n

Is Job’s response amazing, or what?!<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

It seems like the whole past year of my life <\/i>has been mostly made up of bad days. One very bad day, in particular, everything seemed to go south in just hours: expensive car repairs, a sprained ankle, hospital admissions, and even a stroke and the deaths of people I love.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In our moments of \u201cNot one more thing!,\u201d do we find it in us to respond like Job? Or is it our instinct to blame God?<\/strong><\/p>\n

While it\u2019s perfectly normal and healthy to deal with high stress with crying, yelling, or a long nap, our minds typically tempt us to search for who or where we can place blame or guilt.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In sharing my frustration with others, someone brought up Buddhism\u2019s First Noble Truth<\/a><\/strong>: <\/span>\u201cAll of the things a person goes through in life cause suffering\u2026\u201d <\/span><\/i>I would mostly agree. Even the Bible<\/a><\/strong> says,<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u201cIn this world you will have trouble and suffering\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

But Buddhism and Christianity diverge significantly:
\n<\/span>Buddhism:<\/span> \u201c[A person] cannot do anything about it.\u201d
\n<\/span><\/i>Christianity: <\/span>\u201cBut cheer up! I have conquered the world.”<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Deep in my despair, I won’t blame God. Because he promises that he is more powerful than our troubles and suffering. As we turn to him:<\/strong><\/p>\n