There are
certain phrases we rely on to get us through tough times. Phrases that we hope
will bring us comfort and make some sense out of situations when there is no
logic, only grief.
As per
usual I want to decipher the origin of such phrases in hopes of obtaining a
deeper understanding why they continue to be crutches for our emotional well
being.
As an
avid fan of the Golden Girls the character of Sophia Petrillo perfectly
delivers many lines. One of the most famous and funny is the one in the photo
above. It is is so popular in fact that while trying to locate the history of
this idiom the most common responses were from that show. After a few hours of
research without finding serious answers it no longer seemed to amuse me.
Finally I
was able to crack the case.
For those
that don’t know “A Blessing in Disguise” is defined as “something good that
isn’t recognizable at first”.
Hence the confusion of why something that is positive needs to surface
only after something negative first happens. It seems like a cruel irony.
Like all
too many of my endeavors of this kind I arrive in the land of religion. I
suppose I have been blind to the great influences it has subliminally in our
daily lives.
It seems
that 2 Corinthians 12:10 in the Bible reads:
“We don’t often thank God for our
trials, heartaches, and difficulties. Although we are willing to praise Him for
His goodness, we sometimes fail to realize that even adverse circumstances are
blessings in disguise………
Because it is in those difficult
places that we discover the sufficiency of His grace. In our trials, we turn to
God. As we depend on Him, we find that His strength is made perfect in our
weakness.”
It as if
part of the blessing of a trying moment is that God, if you believe in him or
her, will provide you with comfort that makes said tragedy easier.
Another
scripture reads:
“God really does bring good out of
everything that happens to people who love Him.”
Does this
mean that if you don’t believe you will never find the blessings hiding in
disguise in your life?
I
struggle with faith on a regular basis. A huge part of me wants to believe,
hoping that with believing there is certain peace associated with it. But I am
not one to believe anything wholeheartedly simply on its alleged merits. I like
proof and often in the world there are too many examples of proof proving the
opposing view.
A case in
point is a classic St. Jude commercial where a toddler is wheeling a doll
carriage down the hall of the hospital with an IV (of chemo I assume) in one
arm.
If there
is a God and he wants us to turn to him in times of trouble for comfort to show
us His blessing, than I beg of him to explain that sight to me.
I also see
too many people continue to have to survive life-altering hardships, one after
another, while there are those that for lack of a better phrase “get away with
murder”. If what doesn’t kills us makes us stronger, then why does anyone get
to live a life of empty of the kinds of challenges that will enable him to
remain weak? Perhaps ignorance truly is bliss.
If
blessings are walking around wearing disguises to teach us faith; then there
should be no chance of anyone having circumstances that create abstention.
As for
me, I would much rather celebrate blessings in their purist form.
In light
of recent personal events that occurred prior to this Find Out Friday, this
topic shockingly hit a bit too close to home for me. I am not sure that on this
particular day I feel grateful for that which tests us only as a measure to
bond us to our faith.
But at
the end of each day I do try to be grateful for what I have instead of what
could be better. I know it could always be worse and part of the true blessings
I possess is the wisdom to know the difference.
All of a
sudden the memory of hearing “blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be
comforted” in church has a whole new meaning.
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