~ Not a Mini God

Mr Bond, James Bond once went up against a arch villain who cloned himself and called the result Mini Me.  Fortunately for us our Father has more imagination than that.  He delights in our uniqueness.  He knows that submission to His will includes the exercise of free will and individual personality.

For what seems like several months now we have been trying to submit to the call to return to active involvement in mission work. This we saw as an organizational move, having been occupied with hospitality management just about a year ago. The frustrating part of the whole exercise has been that while we were saying “anything anywhere” He did not seem interested in indicating where.

Well it seems that the time is upon us, whether we are sorted or not, we have had some organizations contact us about work but yesterday a different one did and on a different subject.  The landlord rang up with the information the owner wanted to sell the house and could we assist in this process.

Now I am sure this happens reasonably often however we were hoping that our immediate future would have been resolved prior to having to consider where we were going to relocate to.  So what is it that we are to do?  There are two other work options that may be current but that are both interstate.  Perhaps you can see our quandary; if we relocate locally we shut out these two jobs. 

This is not a whinge session.  Our current circumstance is merely illustrative of a bigger concept.  We Christians are big on the work “Submission” and especially to “God’s will”.  Now submission in its earliest form was meant to “bow the knee in an acceptance of your defeat”, probably fewer who did so expected to see another sunrise.

It seems to me from the Bible that God had absolutely a different plan, in the Creation Story Adam and Eve were given this pristine piece of real estate and told to go for their lives no rules about what to do with it, except subdue it ... “ Oh and don’t touch that tree there”. I was quite specific submission in this context meant do what you like except for this one thing.

A really long time ago for some there was a song about a puppet, it was a love song that was called “Puppet on a String”.  Without meaning it to be the writer may well have been composing a allegory for our God.  He desires our friendship.  He wishes that all of mankind would live up to His life principles BUT He also knows that at heart we are still the same as Adam and Eve and just as they decided to do the one thing they were told not to do: so will we given half a chance.

The quite amazing part of all this is He still cares and still allows us the right to do it wrong.  There are consequences of course when we do but that is because we choose to do it.  God knows that relationship without free will is slavery.  We could not be “Friends of God” if we were merely His playthings, His puppet on a string. 

Jesus put this rather nicely when He said to His disciples, and doesn’t that include us, this.

¹⁵Servants don't know what their master is doing, and so I don't speak to you as my servants. I speak to you as my friends, and I have told you everything that my Father has told me John 15:15