Michael L. Parks

If you follow the NFL, you have probably already seen this video. If you haven’t seen it, take a look. The Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers are tied in overtime, and the first team to score, wins the game. The Bills have the ball on the Steelers 40-yard line when Stevie Johnson breaks through the Steelers defense. Ryan Fitzpatrick delivers a perfectly thrown ball to a wide open Johnson in the end zone…

…and he drops it.

What would have been the game-winner, bounces in and out of the hands of Johnson. The Steelers would then go on to win the game 19-16. As big of a story as that is, what transpired after the game has become the bigger story.

Johnson, obviously disappointed, took to Twitter to air his frustration. However, Johnson did not blame himself for taking his eyes off the ball. He didn’t blame himself for not getting his hands into position.

He blamed God.

My initial reaction, like many of you, was to question how Johnson could blame God for something that was so obviously Johnson’s fault. His eyes and hands were not where they needed to be. How can he blame God for that?

Then my thoughts turned to myself. I wondered if I had ever done the same thing as Johnson. It didn’t take long before I realized I am often the same way. When things are going the way I want them to go, it is easy to praise God, but when life does not turn out the way I had planned, I often question or blame God. Even when it is my own foolishness which gets me into trouble, I sometimes demand that God explain to me how he could allow that to happen.

Perhaps you can relate.

Perhaps you and I are a lot more like Stevie Johnson than we would care to admit. In fact, Johnson may even be a little more mature than many of us. The day after, Johnson tweeted this:

Johnson went on to tweet that he was not trying to blame God, but that he was simply crying out and asking “Why?”. He also said that after talking with friends, teammates, his wife, and Kurt Warner (via Twitter), he is able to see the bigger picture, knowing that God can use these trials for higher purposes.

Hard times are a part of life on this earth. Everyone experiences them. God is not worthy of praise just when things are going my way. That is selfish. God is worthy of praise always, because God is always here for me. When things are going well (according to my standards), God is there blessing me. When things are not going so well (again, according to my standards), God is there to lead me through it.

I want to be more like Job. After losing his possessions, his livelihood, and his children, one would expect Job to be angry with God. Instead, Job has the faith to declare:

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
and naked I will depart.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised” (Job 1.21, NIV).

What lessons has God taught you (or is currently teaching you) through difficult times in your life? Please share in the comments.