Thursday, May 3, 2012

Murphy's Law

‘Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking in anything.’ (James 1:4)

Murphy's Law is a popular adage that states that "things will go wrong in any given situation, if you give them a chance," or more commonly, "whatever can go wrong, will go wrong”. It is us who make Murphy's Law relevant to our lives. When life goes smoothly, we think little of it and even take things for granted. On the other hand, when things go against us, we look for reasons or explanations.

Perhaps the best explanation why we are so attracted to Murphy's Law is that there is a sense of fatalism when things go wrong. Fatalism rest on the notion that we're all powerless to the whims of fate. This means that the things that happen to us are unavoidable. Fatalism contradicts with free will. Those who believe in latter think that all humans possess free will and that all of our choices, together with the consequences that come with these choices, are our own doings.

Those who hold on to life is fraught with ‘things go wrong’ often use this to illustrate. It is often observed that no matter how many times one drops a slice of bread, it always seems to land on the floor butter-side down. Can we use Murphy’s Law to explain it? But with a buttered slice of bread, surely one side of bread with butter is heavier than another. That’s why this side will always flip toward the ground. This doesn’t seem to have anything to do with Murphy’s Law.

Murphy’s Law is a very gloomy principle indeed if we allow it to operate this world and explain everything happens unfavourably in this manner. Christians are supposed to operate under another principle- the attitude of thanksgiving even in the midst of trial and difficulty. Most Christians do have moments when they doubt the love of God when faced with storms of life. Thoughts like ‘I don’t think God really loves me or else He would not have let this happen to me.’ do come to the mind of Christians, even amongst the saints.

It all boil down to one’s attitude towards ‘bad things’, isn’t it? When there is a change of heart and a change of mind, ‘victims’ can become victors, and tests can be turned into testimonies.

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