When what goes around DOES NOT come around.

I guess a lot of people take comfort in the phrase, 'what goes around, comes around.' I heard recently a friend got his savings stolen. He started ranting about how he hopes it'll bring them bad luck whatever they buy with it, etc. I guess we're taught that all actions have consequences and bad actions have bad results. For the most part I think this is true. However what about the times when we see people do bad things and they come up smelling of roses? In work I heard about a business collegue who becomes bankrupt leaving their partner with the debt...and goes on to get a good job and not helping to pay any of the debt as he's 'free' from it now. I hear about people that smoke 40 a day and are rarely sick. It hardly seems fair and perhaps we'll never see what has 'gone' around, coming around.

Then I read about an old rabbinic parable which goes something like this...

A King has two sons. One he loves and one he tolerates. He buys gifts for them and summons them to collect them. The first son arrives at the door and the King sends his messenger to give him the gift straight away and he leaves. The second son arrives who the King loves and he isn't given his gift. Instead the son comes in and spends time with the King and they enjoy each others company until the son is comfortable enough in his father's presence to reach and take the gift for himself.

There are many things to draw out of this story, but the main one is that sometimes even though we do good God doesn't always give us what we want and through these times we really draw near to him to find out what he is saying to us and form that close relationship. Whereas if we get all we want we become self sufficient and ignore God. Often when we get close to our Maker...we can find that our truest wish is to be satisfied in His presence and our momentary problems shrink to insignificance. I think this is better than the one who seems to get off 'scott free.'

'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.' Isaiah 55v9