In my
work, I often speak to people about what it means to "reattribute"
something. That's a verb, and I think it's a made up word. To attribute means to determine
something's cause, or explain where it is coming from. Our mind is always
attributing, and sometimes it does so incorrectly. Often times it can be
difficult to know for sure how to attribute something. The following is a good example of where some reattributing is helpful.
But what came to me the other day, was about whether or not we attribute things in our life to God. I have spoken with others about their spiritual struggle to really know whether God exists, or if they can attribute good things that happen to them to him. I can understand their struggle.
God tells us that when we receive a blessing, it is because we have obeyed a law upon which the blessing is predicated. So that could mean that if I obey his law of health, that I could receive the blessing of good health, whether I believe the blessing comes from him, or whether I think I made it happen myself.
What I realized, was that perhaps there are two levels or degrees of blessings, and that the level we attain depends on where we attribute the source of the blessing. I speak for myself here.
Type 1: Those obtained through following a natural law or God's law (whatever you want to call it), regardless of our intention or belief that God is involved in our life.
Type 2: Those that come as a direct result of following the law AND seeing God's hand in our life. There is something distinctly different about this experience and the first type. I believe that ultimately what this does is give a greater meaning to our lives. I also believe that greater blessings and greater happiness come as we realize the hand of a loving Father.
The cartoon at the beginning of the post is humorous, but also points out a greater lesson: That often times, what we experience in life takes on a different quality, depending on what we think it means, or where we think it is coming from. And I ultimately believe that God leaves up to us, in His wisdom, how we will do this attributing. This can be challenging and require faith if we are going to see him as the ultimate source of all good.
I choose to see him as the source.
And behold, there were divers ways that [God] manifest things unto the children of men, which were good; and all things which are good cometh of Christ; otherwise men were fallen, and there could no good thing come unto them. -Moroni 7:24
