Which way are you going?
I’ve just realised I’ve made a major mistake! What was it you ask? In the words of Max Bygraves, “I did it my way!” Major Issue here (usually seen with Corporal Blunder if there’s a war on).
What am I blathering about? Well the problem is, I’m not supposed to do it my way. I’m supposed to say “OK God, you show me what to do, and you’ll give me the opportunity to do it”. But of course I don’t listen do I? I go merrily on my way expecting Him, the Creator of All the Universe no less, to fit round me. I stop my ears, shut my eyes, convince myself this is what He wants, and just occasionally I realise the reason its going pear shaped is because it isn’t. Of course, being such a clever rascal, He’s rather pretty good at running round picking up the loose ends and making sure it all comes out right in the end.
There’s a lovely little picture that I’ve no idea who came up with it to start with, but it works for me. Our lives are like a woven rug, laid upside down on the floor. It’s a complete mess really, with different coloured threads going from one side to the other in a pretty random way, each thread is a different life, it makes no sense at all. Now, turn it over, and suddenly you’ll see that the other side is a glorious pattern. That’s the side that should be facing up, its great, a real work of art. But for those threads down underneath, they wonder what the heck is going on, this can’t be right, why’s that one over there, and look, this is a total disaster! By the way, it also explains that feeling you sometimes get of being trampled on! If you feeling like you’re the one who does the trampling, I suggest you perhaps stop and think awhile.
Sometimes we just have to have faith that this all has a purpose, which we just can’t see right now. I love the book of Job. It’s all about a guy who lives a righteous life, and is living comfortably, until everything goes wrong. Personal and financial disasters along the lines of the Asian Tsunami. He really rails at God, and his friends try their best to console him, but basically he just has to live with it until times change. Sound familiar? It’s good reading and good to know that things don’t change much (considering it was written around 1,000 BC)
Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, the carpet thingy. Well God’s pretty good I’ve found at tying up the loose ends and getting a reasonable result out of our ham-fisted attempts at life, but just occasionally He says “That’s enough, stop what you’re doing and let me have a go.”
The moral of this story? “Don’t rely on your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3 v5). And my mistake? Well, perhaps I’ll keep quiet about that for a little while longer…..
Neville Jephcote