Mini-Bible-Philosophy-Worldview Study (11) Of The Day- On Personal Conflicts And When God Lets You Fight Alone
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Verse Of The Day
I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came. (Job 3:26)
Related Quotes
“In the animal kingdom, the rule is, eat or be eaten; in the human kingdom, define or be defined.”-Thomas Stephen Szasz
“First they ignore you. Then they ridicule you. And then they attack you and want to burn you. And then they build monuments to you.”- Nicholas Klein
“There are no extra pieces in the universe. Everyone is here because he or she has a place to fill, and every piece must fit itself into the big jigsaw puzzle.”- Deepak Chopra
Questions For Discussion
Do you understand your part in creating the conflict or in keeping some conflict going?
Are you careful about the battles you choose to fight?
Can you talk about a time when you had to settle a conflict between two people you cared about? How did you stay impartial?
Bonus Verses
Why standest thou afar off, O LORD? Why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble? (Psalms 10–1)
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: [sic] (James 1:20)
A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife. (Proverbs 15:18)
Commentary- On Solving Life Puzzles And Resolving Personal Conflicts
Craig note- Sometimes, problems in life cannot be solved alone.
On Putting It All Together
Puzzles. I love puzzles.
Actually, I bought a jigsaw puzzle the other day at the local 100 yen (Dollar Store). It had 75 pieces.
Generally, I have no free time, but last Sunday I was home alone for the first time in ages.
I pulled out the puzzle, and I cleared off a table. I started by sorting the pieces by type. I put the four corner pieces down on the table. Ten minutes later the outside of the puzzle was finished.
I got stuck trying to find a piece to fit in the upper righthand corner. As there was no real rush to finish the puzzle, I moved on to another section. That area was easier, and I quickly had most of the puzzle finished.
The last section was harder. I tried piece after piece, but none of them fit. Finally, I grabbed a cold beer from my fridge, and I took a break.
I guzzled my alcohol plus one more, and I returned to my puzzle.
I got down to the last two pieces, and there was a feeling of excitement washing over me. The last piece in my hand went in, and I realized the horrible truth.
There was a piece missing.
“D-mn it!”
I looked in the box.
Nothing.
I looked in the plastic bag from the store.
Nada.
I got on my hands and knees to search under my sofa and under the table.
Zip.
I grabbed a third beer and I was drowning my sorrows with the last yummy drops from the can when my lovely wife returned home. She quickly realized I was not happy.
“What’s wrong?”
“This crap puzzle is missing a piece.”
My lovely wife shook her finger at the three empty beer cans on the table.
You see she’s not a big fan of me drinking like a fish. But, that’s another story.
“Hey, genius?”
“What?”
This time my lovely wife pointed to my chest. And, there stuck to my red t-shirt was the last puzzle piece. My lovely wife pulled it from my shirt, and she plunked it down in the puzzle.
“There finished!”
“Ahhhhhh!”
On Puzzles In Life
It got me thinking about my life. There is a part of me that wonders why it is so difficult to reach some goals. This is especially true in my work life. No matter how many hours of English classes I teach, I always have the same job.
(Although, I am happy to be employed.)
Writing is much the same. Word after word, page after page, and I never see anything tangible.
(Yet, I enjoy writing.)
This conundrum extends to my real life, too. The years are flying by and while I have a happy existence, I have hit a ceiling in my life. I am not sure why that is exactly.
Maybe, my dreams are too big.
I don’t know.
Is it too much to ask to do something other than flip flashcards for a living in Japan?
I am unsure.
Are the puzzles in my life I am trying desperately to answer destined to remain only partially solved?
I wonder. It sure looks that way.
Even that would be okay, if I did not have this insatiable desire to see the final solution.
Are the last pieces intentionally hiding from me?
It absolutely feels like it.
In the end, perhaps, I am destined to always be a piece short when trying to complete my: “life puzzles.”
Grey, Grizzled, and Gaijin
