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Have you ever wondered who that Murphy fellow was?
Edward A. Murphy, Jr., born in 1917,
was a rocket-sled engineer, testing human acceleration tolerances
for the United States Air Force in 1949.
He experimented with a set of 16 accelerometers
mounted to different parts of the subject's body.
There were exactly two ways each sensor could be glued to its mount.
Ironically,
somebody managed to install all 16 the wrong way around.
Thus,
Murphy made this statement:
"If there are two or more ways to do something,
and one of those ways can result in a catastrophe,
then someone will do it."
A few days later, one of his test subjects, Major John P. Stapp,
quoted Murphy's ominous statement to the press.
Later, in 1958 it landed in Webster's Dictionary--but misquoted:
"Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong."
or
"Anything that can go wrong, will."
Ironically, although that phrase became famous as Murphy's Law,
it really should be attributed to
"Finagle's Law of Dynamic Negatives."
Finagle's Law was popularized
by science fiction author Larry Niven
in several stories he wrote depicting a frontier culture
of asteroid miners; this "Belter" culture
professed a religion and/or running joke
involving the worship of the dread god Finagle
and his mad prophet Murphy.
Whether you believe in Murphy's Law or not,
many laugh or take serious this pessimistic view
that if things can go wrong, will go wrong.
Ill- fated glitches,
doomed chaos,
hapless misadventure
have either been avoided via serendipity
or been judged because of Murphy's Law.
And it doesn't take much of a Murphy
to postulate and hypothesize that in real life,
taking reckless ventures and harebrained gambles
will not pay off--something will probably go wrong.
Yet God does give us perfect comfort in the fact
that if we give our lives in complete wholeness and service to Him,
ill luck and misfortune will be reversed.
No longer will Murphy's Law hang ominously,
like a portentous blaze of volcanic fireworks.
Putting our faith and trust in God
will allow Him to underscore His assurance
that "if things can go wrong,
He will be there to take us through."
An interesting verse
is found in Psalm 118:18
which reminds us that even though things can go awry and unseemly,
God will make sure that He will be there.
Yes, that is God's Law,
"When things go wrong, He will see us through."
A suggested prayer:
"God,
so very often I take this futile attitude
that if things go wrong, they will.
I am becoming aware
that You understand
how I feel and I long to take my pessimism
and replace it with Your goodness.
I am sorry for the hurts I have caused You.
I thank You for Your law
that if things go wrong,
You will see us through.
Take my life and let it be yours.
Amen."
FWD From
Fred
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