Rosie

I would say that most of the time, when the outcome of some situation doesn’t go my way, I’m looking for someone or something to blame other than myself.  For example, last night I decided I wanted a small plate of nachos right before I went to bed (if you’re young and you don’t have to worry about how late you eat before bed, just wait, your time will come).  I woke up in the middle of the night with heartburn. 

An even better example was when we moved to New Orleans.  The company that hired me paid to move us down there including giving us some money for moving expenses.  What I didn’t know was that the IRS laid a claim to a portion of that money.  We moved in the summer of one year and 9 months later figured out we owed the IRS a couple of thousand dollars (that we didn’t have and that was 35 years ago).  I blamed the US government for wanting a cut of money given to help with moving expenses (I justified it that from their perspective, they should have encouraged the money due to my increased income and increased taxes paid thereafter) and the company who hired me for not explaining the tax implications properly.

Caution - if you have strong views about politics that bridge on obsessions, you might want to skip the next couple of paragraphs.

These thoughts hit me this morning when I saw an article about Rosie O’Donnell blaming President Trump for her over drinking, over eating and depression after his first win to the presidency in 2016 and her subsequent decision to leave the United States after his second win in 2024.  All three situations (my two and Rosie’s one) are examples of rationalization of unfortunate outcomes and a lack of personal responsibility. 

I decided to eat the nachos last night before bed.  I chose not to fully investigate the ramifications of the moving expenses provided.  Rosie chose to fixate so much on the elected president that she rationalized her decision to drink, over eat and leave the country (I don’t know but I seriously doubt that President Trump intentionally intervened in Rosie’s life).

“Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each will have to bear his own load.” - Galatians 6:1-5 ESV

“Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, had bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had, in house and field. So he left all that he had in Joseph’s charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. As soon as his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, “This is the way your servant treated me,” his anger was kindled. And Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison. But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s charge, because the Lord was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed.” - Genesis 39:1-6, 19-23

From our own perspective, unfortunate things happen to us all the time.  Some of them, like the examples above, are in our control and some aren’t.  But each and every circumstance God can use for good as part of his sovereign plan.

You’d think that after the first time that I ate something like nachos at bed time (and had to deal with the ramifications), I’d learn not to eat so close to bed.  Unfortunately, I’m too stupid.  Some lessons are harder to learn than others…