It’s only funny if it’s true [UPDATED]
An old man is drowning in the sea, struggling to stay afloat.
A boat comes by …
Old man, take the rope, we will save you!
No, thank you, God will save me, I will be fine.
They leave. The man is losing his last bit of strength.
A helicopter hovers overhead. They drop a basket on a rope and over a loud speaker …
Old man, get in the basket, we will save you!
No, thank you, God will save me, I will be fine.
They leave. The old man loses the struggle, drowns.
He arrives at the gates of heaven. Angry, he walks up to the gate keeper and says …
Tell me, tell me why god let me die? Why did he not save me?
Who the hell do you think sent the boat and the helicopter?
What does this have to do with your life?
In the comments, Erika mentions The Book of Esther where God herself is not mentioned but the savior of the people is possibly sent by God. And the one who saves them? Esther, a woman of, well, questionable repute. Who would have guessed? Yes, the help that comes may not be recognized as to its origins, for an assumed lady of the evening, or at least one who knew how to use her womanly charms, saved a people.
Elizabeth mentions an article she wrote concerning potential divine interactions she has had, a great read. And, like Erika, asks about my take on the joke.
Before that, I received a comment from Beruriah, check out her blog, proof that courage does indeed have its rewards.
OK, the joke. It makes me think, why is the old man drowning? Did God push him off a cruise ship? Had God “turned aside” and let something happen? Did S/He lose focus when my children were in utero? And are the boat and the helicopter sent out of guilt?
Who am I to ignore help? I don’t think any of us do. We just need to balance and understand what help is there. I can actually say the only reason my children are alive today is because this man was a prick. Was that fate? A message from a god? At times, we have walked out in the midst of doctor appointments having made the decision that Cerberus sent this doctor, not a god.
As parents in the position we are in, we are making these decisions often. Is this safe for my kid? Will it help? Will it hurt? Is God paying attention, or yet again, has S/He turned aside? I stand behind every decision I make, even though I learned long ago, I rarely know if I made a right decision. By that I mean, every one is followed by “maybe I should have done the other … maybe that would have been better …”
As I have said before, God works in mysterous ways. Some of them suck.
I will never question if you missed an oppurtunity, did not see that angel, did the right or wrong thing. It is not for me to question. I firmly believe that if you get all the knowledge you can, and make an informed decision, you should be supported to the hilt. And my friends know I live that … whether or not I agree, if you make a truly informed decision, I support you. Period.
And please support me. Even if I drown.
Being my own worst enemy? Self sabotage? I’m very familiar. The saying, God helps those who help themselves, seems to apply. You have to grab the rope and you have to get in the basket.
Funny how international jokes are. I like this one, because it’s almost like a parable. To me it means that God works behind the scenes and most often than not, His help comes through people and circumstances.. Although He could, He usually doesn’t work through miraculous interventions, but rather through very earthly vehicles. Like in the Book of Esther, God’s name is not mentioned once, yet it’s a story that illustrates God’s provision through people. Or when Jesus says “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, i was thirsty and you gave me something to drink… ” To me, it’s also a reminder that God’s help doesn’t always come in the form that we expect it. But I don’t know, it’s late and my brain is kinda mushy. What does it have to do with your life, SD?
Every now and then, a stranger or new acquaintance will casually say the most marvelous thing to me that I cherish and that reminds me that my son and I make a valuable impression and contribution to the world. The most common comment I get, “You’re really doing a great job, and it made my day seeing you.” While it may seem sappy or even a little pitiful, these people could avoid me completely yet are compelled to point out their approval and genuine gratitude. These comments buoy me like nothing else.
I wrote an essay about this and it was published in the magazine Spirituality and Health. You can find the link on my blog on the right side-bar.
Are you getting offered help and not taking it or don’t like the looks of the rope?
Erika: I will answer your question shortly.
Elizabeth: Your question does not give me the choice that I may be accepting offered help. Enjoyed your article.
Puzzling over what this may have to do with my life, I guess I’d respond, “Why’d God bother to send that ungrateful guy a rope in the first place?”
I’m a new reader, Single Dad. Not sure why your blog compelled me so, I just clicked over on it after Google Reader suggested it about a week ago. I’m a “dead baby mama” blogger–I blog about my experiences after my first-born son died shortly after birth.
Thank you for sharing. Not sure how much I’ll comment, but I like to let writers know when I’m lurking around.
I know nothing of Silbur except what I just read in Wikipedia despite his TX connections. He is of my father’s generation and our family was associated with the other (opposing football team) university. As you intended, I think, it is not patently obvious how he is related to the lives of your children.
Non-believers (in God) would call me a fatalist. I believe there is an external force/plan for our lives; call it Divine and at the same time believe in free will. It is indeed mysterious, Divinely mysterious how those two interact. I’m fine with not knowing it all now.
And the joke, fits and is the perfect set-up for the discussion.
Not agreeing with you, SD, on the words ‘partial diagnosis’. Sounds like ‘a little pregnant’. Might you be thinking of ‘partial disability’? As to whether a seizure disorder is a full or partial diagnosis… I can direct you to a group of parent bloggers who are dealing with severe effects of seizures on their children and their lives. In the eyes of the beholder…
So your question is not whether God is sending the help or not, but rather, why did He put you in a situation in the first place where you are drowning, right? I think it is a legitimate question, one that I often ponder myself. I try not to ponder it too much though, because I feel like it’s a barren question. I will not know, at least, not in this body. And even if I knew, I doubt it would make me feel any better. I do think though, that God does not cause evil, He just allows it – it might not make any difference to you though. It helps me somewhat. I think many times we are living with the consequences of other people’s ‘free will’ or the side effects of a “fallen world” where cells get messed up and chromosomes go haywire. I also believe, that if God is God, than there is no way that our limited human mind can comprehend Him and His ways. So it leaves me with the choice of believing that His plan is good and He loves me, even if it doesn’t always feel like it, or not. There is a passage that keeps coming back to me since Izzy’s birth: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways, my ways,” declares the LORD. (Isaiah 55:8). Sorry for being longwinded.
Erika: Yes, my question is why is the old man in the situation to begin with. His refusals of help are decisions based on partial knowledge, he did not know in fact, this is what he wanted all along.
Whether or not God causes evil is beyond my pay grade, but I do ask why He did this to my kids or let it happen? My question above as to did God “turn aside” is an allusion to Elijah’s taunting the prophets of Baal when Baal does not respond “Maybe he has turned aside” (1 Kings 18:27) … meaning “Maybe he has gone to pee” i.e.: not paying attention. Further, you say “there is no way that our limited human mind can comprehend Him and His ways” then you agree with precisely what God tells Job when Job dares to question …
It all reminds me of a bit by one of my favorite niche comedians, the wacko Emo Phillips, when he is talking to a bizarre looking fellow, he says …
Feh. We will never know why we are where we are, or at least not now.
I thought this was not a religious blog?
Anyhow, I’m an atheist. I do not believe in God, though I respect that others do.
As to the story, how arrogant can you be to turn down ANY help when you’re, literally, drowning? It is a life or death situation. Even if someone else promised to come and get you, I would still get the first helping hand that comes by, if the other person would be upset that you took someone else’s help first I don’t think (s)he would be a very good friend to begin with. Even if that person would be God.
Now in a non-life and death situation you can afford to pick and choose the help that fits you best. You can take the time to gather the information you need and make a well-informed decision.
So why was he in that situation to begin with? Well shit happens. A butterfly flaps his wings in the Sahara and next you know some guy is drowning on the other side of the world. I don’t believe in God, so for me there’s no one to blame, things are the way they are. For better or worse.
my mom pointed me towards this article. I think you’ll find it an interesting read, Single Dad.
Downside is: it’s in Dutch, so you’re gonna have to pull it through a translator.
What the article comes down to is: If God doesn’t exist life is absurd and horrible. If God does exist life is absurd and horrible as well, because he doesn’t do anything against suffering.