A Mind of Their Own

Last night my wife walked into the living room and said, “Anna needs you in the bathroom.” Immediately my thoughts rushed to, “Well, you’re her mother. Why can’t you take care of it?”, but I knew Dawn wouldn’t send me in unless it was something better suited for my response.

Anna was taking a bath and was playing with her tub toys as she innocently looked up at me and asked, “Daddy, why does Ram [pronounced Raum] not believe in Jesus and what does he believe?” She was asking about our Muslim friend’s beliefs. My brain immediately went into overdrive thinking, “Thanks a lot, Dawn!” and “How do I put this in terms that my sweet six year old will understand without making her fall asleep face down in the tub?” At the same time these thoughts rushed through my head I was praying for wisdom and help from Abba.

I asked Anna if she was ready for the answer and she shook her head yes. Here’s the gist of what I told her.

“Ram and his family believe that Jesus was a good man but that He was not the Son of God or the Savior of mankind. He was just a really good example for how to live.
Do you remember the Bible account of Abraham & Sarah, how they were really old but God promised them a baby boy? Do you remember what they did? They took things into their own hands in order to “help” God’s promise to come true. From their lack of faith, trust and obedience in God comes the whole offshoot of the family that believes they are god’s promised people and that those who follow Christ are wrong. Their prophet built up a belief system that requires everyone to do certain things at the right times to make it to “heaven”. But what does it take for us to get to Heaven, Sweetheart?” She answered, “To believe in Jesus and to obey His ways.” “That’s right! In fact, Jesus told his followers that if we want to get to Heaven we should love God above everything and love our neighbor as ourselves. Does that sound like doing a lot of chores to get to Heaven? No, it doesn’t.”

She and I talked a little more about it, but you get the idea. Our talk got me to thinking about what gets us into trouble still today. When we lack the patience or the faith to allow God to fulfill His promises in His time we plot and plan our ways to make “His will” come to be. The thing is, we cannot see clearly what His will or plan is because we don’t have His full perspective. We’re not privy to all the details. We cannot see the whole picture. Our limited intellect and imagination may only serve to corrupt the timeline and perfect design of God.

I guess what I wanted to share with you today is to trust Him in what He has, is and will promise to do. Be patient. Be obedient. If you aren’t sure about what He means by His promise or challenge, He is always the best one to seek and consult about it, not your intellect, or for that matter your spouse’s. It’s OK to ask those with wisdom and discernment around you, but always go back to Him for His input and design. Live so close to Him that you know His ways. Study His Word so thoroughly that your actions and responses become His actions and responses. As you live and move with Him you will gain sight, or at least find it easier to trust Him to do what He has said He will do.

In short: When God promises something, trust Him to do it in His way & His time. Only give Him help if He asks for it. We’ll all be better for it.

Your servant,
David