Jeremiah 20:7-9
You duped me, O LORD, and I let myself be duped; you were too strong for me, and you triumphed. All the day I am an object of laughter; everyone mocks me.
Scammed & Duped! Recently, a friend told me a story of a woman who found the perfect gentleman through an online dating site. He happened to live in Nigeria. They texted and emailed every day, even speaking on the phone long distance. They fell in love even though they never met in person. Within six months they were engaged. When the new fiancé asked for the tiny sum of $800 to help prepare for their wedding, in Nigeria no less, the woman didn't hesitate. She wire transferred the funds, hoping to receive the engagement ring from him soon. She never heard from the "fiancé" again. Later this woman realized she was duped by a scam artist. Such frauds regularly prey on Internet dating sites harvesting desperate women looking for a man, any man, in order to escape loneliness. These women fail to see the warning signs that the men they are "dating" are just too good to be true.....
Speaking from personal experience, I've allowed myself to be duped. Maybe not financially but definitely emotionally. I know what it feels like to be swooned by a beautiful man. Such a man can smell lack of confidence and lack of self worth, use it for his own satisfaction, and then toss me back to into the water, moving on to new catch. So many other fishes in the sea......
Does God Dupe Us? The prophet Jeremiah boldly states that he's been duped by The Lord! He sees the difficulties of life as a prophet . He's laughed at, mocked, and not taken seriously. Maybe he thought working on the Lord's behalf would be super easy. People would listen and learn. No conflict or persecution. No embarrassment. Jeremiah's words would reach the multitudes in profound ways!
Life doesn't work out very smoothly. It's a bumpy, often chaotic ride, that challenges us. If we were not occasionally duped by God, we would never grow and develop into better Christians. God doesn't dupe us in a sleezy, scam artist kind of way. He changes life's circumstances so we will bind closer to him. Yes, there will be times when we want to run away and hide. We feel like pushing Jesus to the curb. However, this is when we need to fight through the negative thinking. Pray, pray, pray! Don't give up on God just because things aren't going very well. We may think life is a pile of horse manure, but from God's point of view we are doing great! Just keep walking through the mess and stench until eventually roses will bloom.
What is true happiness? We may think going to Mass every Sunday, praying the rosary, reading scripture, praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament, and even volunteering in church ministries will somehow make us immune to unhappiness. I mean, we love Jesus, and even consume him each week in holy communion, doesn't this mean we should be instantly healed of our burdens and strife? No. I wish I could say "yes" but God doesn't work that way.
The only way for us to be truly happy in this limited life is to synchronize our own personal will with God's will. When we merge our hearts with the Sacred Heart of Jesus we feel empowered. We can handle life's crosses with a better frame of mind. Things that once appeared so tragic are less dramatic. The idea that "God has duped me so I will never believe in him again" vanishes.
Life is all about starts and stops. It's about experiencing chaos and calm. With The Lord as our guide, we coast through the bumps and bruises knowing that it's all going according to God's plan.
-J.
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