An Immensely Hurtful Time During The Holidays
By MTC ~
December 23rd, the day one of my stepbrothers died. Today is the 11-year anniversary of his death, but it sure doesn't seem like it's already been a decade and a year!
"Steps" have a negative reputation, but they wouldn't if they were all like Tracy. He was just like a real brother in every way. He was in the hospital for 18 days before his death, and for a majority of that time he was comatose. The whole ordeal was immensely painful, and I'll never forget!
Christianity loves to harp about the power of prayer, and the claim that if you ask for something in Jesus's name you'll receive it (or something along that line anyway). There were many people praying for Tracy while he was in the hospital. But nevertheless he didn't pull through. Christian doctrine also claims that God doesn't want anyone to perish, or in their terms be condemned to eternal damnation for something as small as not believing in him or agreeing with his rules. Well you know what? If this deity performed a miracle and healed Tracy like Jesus healed people in the Bible, it most certainly would've brought many more folks to him! But nope, he had to keep up with his mysterious ways and his plan that we're supposed to trust even if we don't understand. BAH! As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, if indeed God is in control and we're supposed to trust and have faith in his will, then why do we even bother with prayer?
You're probably wondering how Tracy died. Well, he had a beer and liquor fetish; in other words he was an alcoholic. Why did he become an alcoholic and drink himself to death? He was horribly abused by his mom (my stepdad's ex-wife) during childhood. Guess what else? In the outside world she was this "good Christian woman," going to church regularly, teaching the Bible, etc. She wasn't so saintly behind closed doors however, and did all those cruel things to Tracy. Go figure! Speaking of which, Biblical doctrine also claims that God will never give us more than we can handle, cares for us deeply, and is always watching over and protecting us. So why didn't he protect Tracy from the two-faced scumbag? Ah yes, those good old mysterious ways. BLEH!
"Steps" have a negative reputation, but they wouldn't if they were all like Tracy. He was just like a real brother in every way. He was in the hospital for 18 days before his death, and for a majority of that time he was comatose. The whole ordeal was immensely painful, and I'll never forget!
Christianity loves to harp about the power of prayer, and the claim that if you ask for something in Jesus's name you'll receive it (or something along that line anyway). There were many people praying for Tracy while he was in the hospital. But nevertheless he didn't pull through. Christian doctrine also claims that God doesn't want anyone to perish, or in their terms be condemned to eternal damnation for something as small as not believing in him or agreeing with his rules. Well you know what? If this deity performed a miracle and healed Tracy like Jesus healed people in the Bible, it most certainly would've brought many more folks to him! But nope, he had to keep up with his mysterious ways and his plan that we're supposed to trust even if we don't understand. BAH! As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, if indeed God is in control and we're supposed to trust and have faith in his will, then why do we even bother with prayer?
You're probably wondering how Tracy died. Well, he had a beer and liquor fetish; in other words he was an alcoholic. Why did he become an alcoholic and drink himself to death? He was horribly abused by his mom (my stepdad's ex-wife) during childhood. Guess what else? In the outside world she was this "good Christian woman," going to church regularly, teaching the Bible, etc. She wasn't so saintly behind closed doors however, and did all those cruel things to Tracy. Go figure! Speaking of which, Biblical doctrine also claims that God will never give us more than we can handle, cares for us deeply, and is always watching over and protecting us. So why didn't he protect Tracy from the two-faced scumbag? Ah yes, those good old mysterious ways. BLEH!