Murphy’s Law

Have you ever had a day when everything seemed to go wrong? If it was just a day, you should be very thankful. For some people, the “unlucky day” seems like it lasts forever. Roy Cleveland Sullivan (1912–1983) was born in Greene County, Virginia.

He was hit by lightning in 1942 when he was thirty years old; a second time in 1969; a third in 1970; a fourth in 1972; a fifth in 1973; a sixth in 1976; and, finally, a seventh on June 25, 1977. All seven strikes were documented by the superintendent of the Shenandoah National Park. Sullivan claimed that even as a child, he had been struck by lightning, but it was never documented. For those who are curious about the mathematical chances, the probability of a person being struck by lightning seven times would be 1:1028. Superstitious people might conclude that Sullivan was cursed.

Others could say he was a victim of Murphy’s Law, which states that if anything can go wrong, it will. This “law” was coined by an American, Captain Edward A. Murphy (1918–1990), who, in 1949, was working with a team of engineers on a US Air Force project designed to find out how much sudden deceleration a person can stand in a crash. When an engineer wrongly installed some cables and wires on the project, Murphy blamed him, saying, “If there is any way to do it wrong, he will.” However, others had made similar statements before. Whatever truth Murphy’s Law may contain, it is too general and too pessimistic. Yes, one could apply the law to Roy Sullivan, but what about the overwhelming majority of the world population who never experience even a single lightning strike? Furthermore, the law does not take into account God’s loving discipline of His creatures (Revelation 3:19). Even when things go wrong, we should never forget that God cares for us all of the time, on our sunny days and during the cloudy ones.

As stated by King David, Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me (Psalm 23:4, NIV). Look at the beautiful roses along the way and ignore the thorns!