What does this Christian qoute mean?

[AtroposHeart]

My very Christian Aunt on Facebooks posts many Christian sayings on her blog everyday. I usually get them but today one made me scratch my head in confusion.

"What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday."

Maybe I look stupid here, buy what does this mean?

[TXDuck]

My very Christian Aunt on Facebooks posts many Christian sayings on her blog everyday. I usually get them but today one made me scratch my head in confusion.

"What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday."

Maybe I look stupid here, buy what does this mean?

It means you should thank God everyday for all the things and people in your like you like/need/are good for you/love. At the very least, it means acknowledging all these things are "blessings from God". It sounds exhausting and I doubt anyone really does it. It's just a way of looking more pious in front of your superficial church friends.

[snarkbillie]

It means you have to thank God for everything at all times. If you didn't say "thank you" to God for your underwear you're going to wake up without any.

[2xx1xy1JD]

My very Christian Aunt on Facebooks posts many Christian sayings on her blog everyday. I usually get them but today one made me scratch my head in confusion.

"What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday."

Maybe I look stupid here, buy what does this mean?

It means that you probably have all sorts of things that you just take for granted.

So, if you grumble and don't consciously think every day that you are thankful for your home, your health, your food, your family, etc. - imagine waking up and finding that you no longer had even one of these things. In other words - be grateful for everything that you have.

[Loveday]

My very Christian Aunt on Facebooks posts many Christian sayings on her blog everyday. I usually get them but today one made me scratch my head in confusion.

"What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday."

Maybe I look stupid here, buy what does this mean?

It means if you didn't thank God for anything yesterday, today you'd have nothing. So you'd better thank God for every little thing in your entire life, from your house to your car to your husband and kids, to your washing machine and the scoop of Tide you poured into it, right on down to the candy bar you ate while watching Dr Oz (and don't forget to thank him for that TV, too), because otherwise you might lose everything. Every. Thing. God keeps track, you know, and he might smite you if you forget to thank Him for something.

I have an aunt who posts stuff like this on her FB, too. I don't mind it, really, I'm a Christian, too, but life is just not that simplistic, and I don't believe God wants us to recite what amounts to little charms and spells to keep him appeased.

[Guest Anonymous]

It is an warning to the people who do not adequately thank God for the things they have. Have you thanked God for being alive today? For the air that you breathe? The sunshine? The food and water that sustains you? And so on, and so on.

[2xx1xy1JD]

You've got to love the Poo-poo Prayer (or Bathroom Blessing) in Judaism:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asher_Yatzar

Yes, for your Weird Religious Trivia of the Day, Judaism does indeed have a prayer to say after your morning dump, where you basically thank G-d that all the tubes and openings in your body work and allow you to live. Sadly appropriate considering that Ashkenazi Jews are 4 times more likely to have Chrohn's disease.

[2xx1xy1JD]

It means if you didn't thank God for anything yesterday, today you'd have nothing. So you'd better thank God for every little thing in your entire life, from your house to your car to your husband and kids, to your washing machine and the scoop of Tide you poured into it, right on down to the candy bar you ate while watching Dr Oz (and don't forget to thank him for that TV, too), because otherwise you might lose everything. Every. Thing. God keeps track, you know, and he might smite you if you forget to thank Him for something.

I have an aunt who posts stuff like this on her FB, too. I don't mind it, really, I'm a Christian, too, but life is just not that simplistic, and I don't believe God wants us to recite what amounts to little charms and spells to keep him appeased.

I'm not Christian so take this with a grain of salt, but I look at prayer as being for US, not for G-d. Giving daily thanks reminds us to have an attitude of gratitude. Even in those areas where we think that we control everything - we still need to recognize just how fortunate we are, and not be smug.

[Spider Burps]

I'm not Christian so take this with a grain of salt, but I look at prayer as being for US, not for G-d. Giving daily thanks reminds us to have an attitude of gratitude. Even in those areas where we think that we control everything - we still need to recognize just how fortunate we are, and not be smug.

I concur with you, 2xx1xyJD. I've always felt like prayer was to remind me of all of the good things in life and also to help mentally work out the past, present and future.

(And, I feel like a goober for saying this, but this one is the only widespread religious-y quote that I like.)

[Alecto]

(And, I feel like a goober for saying this, but this one is the only widespread religious-y quote that I like.)

There is a very similar Asatru sentiment, only far more cynical:

Praise day at even, a wife when dead,

a weapon when tried, a maid when married,

ice when 'tis crossed, and ale when 'tis drunk - Havamal 80 (Sometimes 81)

[browngrl]

off topic really, but quotes like this make me think of a quote from a book called "The Stone Angel" by Margaret Lawrence (I recommend this book highly). The protagonist is a tough old woman named Hagar who when asked to pray for god's blessings says "Bless me or not, just as you will Lord. For I'll not beg".

[Kitten]

If I thank God for a winning lottery ticket, does that mean I'll wake up without a financial worry in the world? I am SO on that!!! :D

[Mela99]

You've got to love the Poo-poo Prayer (or Bathroom Blessing) in Judaism:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asher_Yatzar

Yes, for your Weird Religious Trivia of the Day, Judaism does indeed have a prayer to say after your morning dump, where you basically thank G-d that all the tubes and openings in your body work and allow you to live. Sadly appropriate considering that Ashkenazi Jews are 4 times more likely to have Chrohn's disease.

I laughed way harder at this than I should have.

A little perplexed at "After completing urination and or defecation and upon leaving the bathroom, the person washes their hands. According to Jewish etiquette, this should be done outside the bathroom, but if there is no source of water available outside the bathroom, it is permissible to wash one's hands inside the bathroom, then dry them outside."

Why can't they wash them inside the bathroom?

[Loveday]

I'm not Christian so take this with a grain of salt, but I look at prayer as being for US, not for G-d. Giving daily thanks reminds us to have an attitude of gratitude. Even in those areas where we think that we control everything - we still need to recognize just how fortunate we are, and not be smug.

I agree with you, and I do thank God daily for blessings received, not to mention for just being alive another day. I hope I didn't sound smug in my post! :oops: I just meant that I don't believe God will take everything away from us if we miss a day now and then, or if we forget to thank him for something. I have a similar discussion with my son frequently. He's a member of one of the Catholic Church's 'Third Orders,' where you adopt many of the ways of a particular monastic order while still living 'in the world.' He keeps a 'piety checklist,' which tracks his mass attendance, his Adoration schedule, his rosary recitations, etc, and he tends to beat himself up a bit if he misses one mass or can't fit in confession one week because of time constraints. I try to tell him that GOD isn't keeping a copy of that checklist and that he's being too overly scrupulous, which the Church officially discourages (but which in reality does tend to set people up to BE overly scrupulous, but that's another issue); I try to explain that it's not what's on that piece of paper but what's in one's heart that matters, but he doesn't get it. He just accuses me of hanging on to some of my old Protestant beliefs (which, frankly, is true!) and tunes me out. :doh:

[2xx1xy1JD]

I laughed way harder at this than I should have.

A little perplexed at "After completing urination and or defecation and upon leaving the bathroom, the person washes their hands. According to Jewish etiquette, this should be done outside the bathroom, but if there is no source of water available outside the bathroom, it is permissible to wash one's hands inside the bathroom, then dry them outside."

Why can't they wash them inside the bathroom?

In Judaism, you aren't supposed to say the actual prayer, or have any prayer book, in the same room as a toilet. So, since both this prayer and the handwashing before meals prayer is said while drying the hands, this is done outside the bathroom. In kosher restaurants, there is usually a sink just outside the restroom for this reason, and it often has a poster with these prayers hanging by it.

[EmmieJ]

I have an aunt who posts stuff like this on her FB, too. I don't mind it, really, I'm a Christian, too, but life is just not that simplistic, and I don't believe God wants us to recite what amounts to little charms and spells to keep him appeased.

I definitely think it's important to count one's blessings/good fortune/etc. But I don't think being guilted into doing so is really what a diety would want. I always put it into context of my mother, who is the best person I know and the one who should shoot straight into the upper echelon of Heaven, no questions asked.

She has always given her family so much. Yes, she appreciates being thanked, but she doesn't want us thanking her each and every day, for every little thing. It's enough that she knows we appreciate her, and as a result of her good example, we try to do the same for those we love.

So I look at a diety in much the same way. I am truly grateful for all the good things in my life. I often whisper a prayer of thanks at night as I peek in my son's room to make sure he is sleeping soundly. It's heartfelt and sincere. But if I felt guilted into offering a litany of thanks every day, it wouldn't be sincere and especially so if I offered thanks because I was worried that if I didn't do so, I'd lose out on some of the things I was so thankful for.

[Eclipse]

That you should be guilty you aren't praying more. And free will and personal choice don't matter because God caused everything to happen.

[uncreative]

My very Christian Aunt on Facebooks posts many Christian sayings on her blog everyday. I usually get them but today one made me scratch my head in confusion.

"What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday."

Maybe I look stupid here, buy what does this mean?

Hmmm...is your aunt my mom? She has that quote sticky-noted on her pantry door.

[gustava]

It means you have to thank God for everything at all times. If you didn't say "thank you" to God for your underwear you're going to wake up without any.

Is this why Steve Maxwell didn't list underwear on his trip packing list? He forgot to pray for it the day before?? :roll: :roll:

[salsa]

I'm guessing there's an infusion of prosperity gospel today. God gives us new blessings every day and if all we had to thank God for was yesterday's blessings, it means that we wouldn't have received any new ones today. Each day is new. IMO, it's a reminder to look at God's new blessings in each new day rather than simply recycling the old faithful ones like "thank you for food, a roof over my head, a car, family, health ... and so on."

but as to those Christian posts - blech. I have a cousin whose posts consist 99% of "share if you love Jesus," and "99% of you are too cowardly to share this picture of Jesus," and those kinds of things. He's proven himself (at least to his fb list) that he loves Jesus. How many has he influenced outside of his fb list?

I wish there WERE going to be a judgment day because I have a feeling that Jesus will ask, "so you stood up for me? Thanks. How did you do that? Feed the hungry? Serve the poor? Loving your neighbor? Showing mercy to sinners?" ... "Oh, what's that? You shared facebook posts that told people they weren't really Christian if they didn't click on 'share?' WHAT THE HELL IS THE MATTER WITH YOU??? DIDN'T YOU EVEN READ THE BOOK YOU SUPPOSEDLY BELIEVE IN???? Off to BLANKET TRAINING FOR YOU!!!"

[Elle]

It's already been answered, but I know plenty of people who are thankful for what they do have without thanking a god who did not give them anything. My husband's BOSS gave him a job, and using the money MY HUSBAND earned, or money I earned from the CLIENTS who gave me the jobs they needed done, WE went to the store and BOUGHT the items we need, or we went on Craigslist and found SELLERS selling what we wanted for what we can afford. My husband's labor, my labor, his boss, my clients, the store, other sellers. This is where what we have comes from. I wouldn't have relative health if it weren't for doctors who we paid with money we earned and received from his boss and my clients.

So pardon me for a moment if I don't thank god for anything. If god gave me anything, it's this goddamned fucked-up body that's been riddled with medical issues my entire life, and now an abscess that's only barely under control after spending hundreds of dollars and will take several hundred more to get rid of. I'm thankful for the people who give us work and I'm thankful for my husband's willingness to work hard and my ingenuity at finding what I can do from home to earn money and having the ability to turn it into a job that brings in money. The only things any god could be credited with are the things that no other person could have affected, so basically medical issues and genetics that weren't caused by choices (like a cigarette-smoker ending up with lung cancer). If I were to thank god only for the things that could be attributed to a god, it would be my medical issues and an abscess, and if I thanked him for those yesterday, then I'd be in unbearable pain today without the medication that I can thank the doctors for prescribing, the pharmaceutical companies that developed them, my husband's labor and my own for earning the money to pay for them, and the employer and clients who privileges us with the work we did to earn the money to give to the pharmacy for the drugs I need developed by pharmaceutical companies and prescribed by doctors. A whole big cycle that has resulted in relief and at no point is thanks to god.

[Elle]

I'm guessing there's an infusion of prosperity gospel today. God gives us new blessings every day and if all we had to thank God for was yesterday's blessings, it means that we wouldn't have received any new ones today. Each day is new. IMO, it's a reminder to look at God's new blessings in each new day rather than simply recycling the old faithful ones like "thank you for food, a roof over my head, a car, family, health ... and so on."

but as to those Christian posts - blech. I have a cousin whose posts consist 99% of "share if you love Jesus," and "99% of you are too cowardly to share this picture of Jesus," and those kinds of things. He's proven himself (at least to his fb list) that he loves Jesus. How many has he influenced outside of his fb list?

I wish there WERE going to be a judgment day because I have a feeling that Jesus will ask, "so you stood up for me? Thanks. How did you do that? Feed the hungry? Serve the poor? Loving your neighbor? Showing mercy to sinners?" ... "Oh, what's that? You shared facebook posts that told people they weren't really Christian if they didn't click on 'share?' WHAT THE HELL IS THE MATTER WITH YOU??? DIDN'T YOU EVEN READ THE BOOK YOU SUPPOSEDLY BELIEVE IN???? Off to BLANKET TRAINING FOR YOU!!!"

As someone whose newsfeed is full of the same crap by those the least likely to give a dime to help a dying person and who rant about how socialized healthcare is evil and against the bible, I have this to say about your last paragraph:

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: and a :lol: for the punishment!

[DistantStar]

...to your washing machine and the scoop of Tide you poured into it...

I wouldn't take this one lightly, I just moved into a place with a washer and dryer after four years in a place without. I am honestly grateful for those machines. They are things of beauty. ( :) )

[Loveday]

I wouldn't take this one lightly, I just moved into a place with a washer and dryer after four years in a place without. I am honestly grateful for those machines. They are things of beauty. ( :) )

You're right, I stand corrected. :oops: I spent several years myself in an apartment sans washer/dryer.

And right now, my current washer's water pump is about to go. Small leak, the machine's still usable, but we're holding our breath til we can get the replacement part. If it goes completely before that, I've got to haul all my laundry across town to the in-laws'. I do appreciate my washer! :lol:

[DistantStar]

I don't credit God with the washer and dryer, but for the first time in four years as of this week I am totally caught up on all the laundry at the same time aside from what I've worn since Tuesday. I can even do laundry naked if I want to wash every stitch I own. Can't do that in a laundromat! Or, for that matter, at the in-laws'. :D

I can't believe in a God who hands down stuff like this awesome apartment to me personally. I think I lucked into it as much as anything. That sort of thinking, and prosperity gospel bullshit, drives me fucking bonkers. We're just Not. That. Important. Get over yourselves, fundies, the universe is huge and we're not.