Is It Punishment or Divine Gift?

Written by Joyce Vissell and Narrated by Marie T. Russell When tragedy, death of a loved one, or extreme disappointment strikes, do you ever wonder if our Divine Creator is punishing you? A lot of people feel this way and close their heart to the divine love that is always pouring to us. Losing a Loved One I have a dear friend, named Jim, who had a golden retriever, Max, for sixteen years. Jim loved Max like he was a son and he took excellent care of him. Max went everywhere with his owner, even expensive hotel rooms. Max went to the best vets and was monitored often for any problems. The life expectancy for a golden retriever is from 10-13 years old, so Max had lived way beyond that. One day, Max had trouble standing up and was immediately taken to the veterinary emergency hospital. Within a few hours, he died. Our friend was devastated and, after a few days of crying, he reported to me that he could no longer believe in a loving creator. Why would a loving God take from this world a pet that was bringing so much love and beauty to his life? Jim felt that he was being punished. I urged him to be grateful for all the wonderful years that he had with Max and to begin to look for a gift in the experience. In time, Jim realized that Max had had an extraordinary life and that, if he had lived even two weeks more, Jim would have been in Europe working and would not have been able to be with him for his final hours on earth. As it was, Jim was able to hold him every second, and tell him over and over again how much he loved him, and to thank him for all the joy he brought. Losing Everything We know people who lost their home and community to the Paradise Fire in northern California in 2018. In just one short day an entire small town completely burned. This was heartbreaking for all of us who watched, and even more so for the people who were there and lost so much. These people told us at the time that they felt completely abandoned by God and that they could never trust again... Continue Reading at InnerSelf.com (plus audio/mp3 version of article) Music By Caffeine Creek Band, Pixabay Narrated by Marie T. Russell, InnerSelf.com * Subtitles by InnerSelf Copyright 2021 by Joyce and Barry Vissell.