The Ernie Project no. 9

The Ernie Project no. 9

From binder no. 2 dated: 17 Jan 88

Hello from the Pastor!

WHY ME, LORD!?

     If you were a whiner like me you would be very familiar with the whiner’s favorite phrase, “why me!?”  It’s always delivered in a somewhat nasal, high-pitched, peevish way, as if one were in a deep distress, and at its very best it is a prolonged and totally undignified, even childish expression of anguish over some slight discomfort. I’m so good at it that I have actually developed the capacity to whine “why me!?” for any reason.  I’ve been known to whine at even simple inoffensive questions like, “what time is it?”  ~ “Why me! ?”

     As you can imagine, a whiner like me does not hesitate to whine even to God. “Why me, Lord!?”  But I’m not alone in this.  It seems like everybody whines to God now and then.  You even hear it from people who otherwise pay no attention to God.  These are the ones whose first words in response to any unfortunate or even tragic event is to ask, “why does God allow such things!?”  It’s just a variation on “why me!?”  Like any good whiner they always expect life to be good to them.  And if it’s not, well, “why me!?”

     But what we whiners really need to do is to practice our “why me!?”  on all the good things that happen to us rather than just the bad.  When we wake up refreshed from a good night’s sleep we need to ask, “why me!?”  When we rise full and satisfied from a hearty meal we need to ask, “why me!?”  When we are the only one at the office who didn’t get the flu we need to ask “why me!?”  If we began to see that we really have no right to expect sunshine everyday, maybe we would begin to be grateful for all the sunshine we get. And if we see that God is afterall the source of all our blessings, then maybe we would give a new meaning to, “why me, Lord!?”