God Bless the Child



It's one of "them" days, when "The Blues" sneak up on me.  Like a walking octopus (if they could walk), it grabs me from behind, pins my arms, covers my eyes and mouth, and whispers in my ear:
"Them that got shall get
Them that's not shall lose
So the Bible says and it still is news
Mama may have,Papa may have
But God bless the child that's got his own
That's got his own."

Significantly, I reject the "But God bless the child that's got his own" lyric as misguided and spawned most likely by Billie Holiday's harsh life.  Early on, I believed the Bible verses my Sunday School classes introduced to me.  Our teachers taught us "Peter opened his mouth and said, Of a truth, I perceive that God is no respecter of persons" (Acts 10:34) and, God "sends rain on the just and on the unjust" (Matthew 5:45).  In all the tumult and torture life brings, my picture of God remained clear.  He doesn't countenance favoritism.  Yet, it took me forever to believe, truly believe, that God loves me! Even though I accepted that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die for me (and you, too),  knowing God mostly eluded me.  The concept of such selfless love perplexed me.

As for the behavior, attitude, or disposition of  "rich relations" and "friends," oh,well. It takes all kinds to populate the world, was how I played it off.  Friends especially, come diversely packaged.  I learned early about "fair weather friends"  at about the same time my first love (as I defined love) introduced me to its transience.  Those seeds took root in my soul.

"Money, you've got lots of friends
Crowding round the door
When you're gone, spending ends
They don't come no more
Rich relations give
Crust of bread and such
You can help yourself
But don't take too much... 

Long ago, I stopped being disappointed when blood or adopted, well-to-do or not relatives disappointed me. Still, my love, belief, and trust in God continue to grow, even flourish,  through the potholes and pitfalls.  God remains faithful.  And He still loves me!

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