8.21.2006

Giving God a Helping Hand

So I said I was going to write an article on what I thought of What a Girl Wants, but I've been told that I must read the final installment in the series before I rave and rant about the grave injustice done to poor computer engineer Seth. Let me finish the final book, and then you can all peer into the male perspective of a book that makes the Baby Sitters Club look like "Leave it to Beaver" of the girly genre. (For the record, I have no idea whether you italicize, place quotes, or underline a T.V. series. Don't ask me why, but referencing "Law and Order" was not sufficient as a primary source for moral justice in philosophy class.)

The last couple of days I've learned many important things, or rather relearned them. Last night's lesson at church, coupled with tonight's Bible study reminded me that God is in control. For a type A personality, this is very hard to remember. I am constantly trying to lay out the fleece for God to see if He likes my plan. How rarely He does I've discovered! For some reason I foolishly think that I can come up with these great plans, manipulate this given situation, or place myself in this arena, and then pray to God and tell Him to get to work. I'm well aware that "the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective" (James 5:16, NIV) and thus I fully expect my prayers to be answered in the way I deem appropriate. Shoot, I can move mountains if I have faith as a mustard seed, and I think I'm at least at the pumpkin seed level by this point.

But asking God to be who He i s not, and trying to bend His will to my own is not what He is after. Now I am one that continually struggles with the issue of God's will vs. free will, and I still don't have a solid answer on that but what I do know is that God is the potter, and I am the clay. And much like the pot in Jeremiah, I sometimes get bent out of shape. Thankfully God molds me back to something useful. Perhaps its time I let God do the work. I've got a bedtime to meet anyways, and He's got an extra eight hours on me (not to mention at least 10,000 years more experience*).


*Just trying to give a nod to all those young-earth people out there! :)

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

You can italicize TV shows, movies, and books (or anything, really) if you're typing it.
So technically, unless you are writing in a very specific style, it's correct to italicize everything that is a proper title.

Anonymous said...

I've very excited to read your post about the books.

Anonymous said...

He's got more than 10,000 yrs on you; He's got Eternity!