Two friends sat at a table. One drank coffee, the other a diet coke. Herman says to Ralph, “Did you hear that our friend Freddie is going through a terrible trial?”

“No,” Ralph replies. “I wonder if he sinned and if God is punishing him.”

The next week they’re talking again. This time Herman is drinking diet coke and Ralph is drinking coffee. Ralph says to Herman, “Did you hear about Daisy? They say she’s got cancer.”

“Well, you know how gossipy Daisy is. I won’t say she’s being punished but, well …” Herman says to Ralph.

The next week both of the friends are drinking coffee. “Did you hear about Fred?” Herman asks. “Lost his job. His wife left him and he found out he’s got athlete’s foot.”

“Do you think he did something to make God mad?”

At the end of the month the two get together again. Herman says to Ralph, “The doctor says I’ve got a terrible disease.”

Ralph says to Herman, “I lost my job.”

Both of them wail in unison, “What did I do to deserve that!”

Is God Evening Up the Score?

Often in the face of trouble, there is a sneaky little voice that whispers that if something goes wrong in someone’s life, divine justice is evening up the score. Continue reading →