It is no secret that I like Star Wars. A lot.
I do not remember a time in my life where being a Jedi Knight was not a secret ambition of mine, and sadly my childhood dreams have not in the least bit faded over time.
Unfortunately my blood donor card makes no mention of a high Midi-Chlorian count which would signify that have the genetic possibility of becoming a Jedi so I just have to pretend. If you aren’t nerdy enough to know what I am talking about, just look it all up on Wookieepedia.com, the Wikipedia of the Star Wars Universe (I’m not joking, it is real…and rather informative).
Fortunately for me, advancements in bathroom sanitation technology have made my Jedi Knight role playing all the more fulfilling.
Everything is automatic.
I can storm into any public restroom and start waving my hand around like Obi Wan Kenobi and things start moving at my command. Toilets start flushing, faucets begin running, soap starts dispensing and paper towels roll out all at my beckoning. Those weak minded machines never saw me coming.
Sometimes I try and make the experience more convincing so I make light saber noises with my mouth, but I usually try and make sure nobody is in one of the stalls first.
I can already feel you judging me through the computer screen.
Believe it or not but I am not the only one who wishes life were like a public restroom. We all like the idea of being able to just wave our hand around and things start happening for us. “Effort” can feel like a dirty word sometimes, especially when it comes to things like faith. When we are given a promise or vision from God we are often caught between two conflicting ideas: do we take total control and just make things happen on our own time and with our own strength? Or do we sit on our butts and just wait on something miraculous to happen? Neither of them sound like great options so we usually settle for what we think is a happy medium- not making a whole lot of effort but waving our arms around just enough to show God that we are at least trying.
Reading the book of Acts gives me the impression that having faith is even cooler than the Force. Disciples went into a city, starting waving their hands around, and blind people started seeing. Crippled people started walking. Bad people fell over dead. People teleported and disappeared. As much as I hate to admit it, Master Yoda couldn’t do half the things the Apostle Paul could. If faith were always that exciting everybody would have it. Unfortunately, the faith that is usually required of us is the slow grinding kind of faith. It is the years and years spent in the gap between where we are and where we know God is taking us. It is in the“meantime” between where we want to be with God and where we see our self every morning.
Where, then, is the balance? How do we “wait” on God while still doing everything in our power to make steps toward the goal? I have to do something, but I can’t do everything.
I am discovering that living by faith is more like backing up a trailer than using the Force. In case you are unaware, backing up a trailer is one of those rites of passages into manhood. It is a skill learned only by experience.
I, personally, have not perfected this skill and so I still need someone to guide me. This person stands just to the side of where I want the trailer to go where I can still see him in my side view mirror. They then use hand motions to tell me exactly where the trailer needs to go and how I need to get there.
Most of the time, this is a very slow process for me because I cannot just throw it into reverse and floor it because I will most certainly jack-knife or run over a small child. But I can’t just sit there and expect everything to work itself out. I have to go foot by foot with the guide telling me everything step by step.
Those who lean toward doing everything on their own want God out of the picture and those who are content to just sit and wait want Him to be the driver and themselves out of the picture. Instead, God wants to be our guide guy while He teaches what He wants to.
When we are in that in between phase we have to do something and not be a faucet Yoda, but we cannot be the guy who runs over small children with trailers. It is all in the baby steps.
When God has given you a promise, point your focus in your best interpretation of the direction God wants you to go. Then take a small step. Set some money aside. Pray more. Buy a book about an area you think you might later have to be knowledgeable in. Do some research. Then stop.
Look around. See if you are walking in the right direction. Look back at your guide and see where He is telling you to go.Then take another step, and another, but never loose sight of your Guide. Sometimes He will tell you to stop. Sometimes He will tell you to keep going. Sometimes He will tell you that you went in the wrong direction and will have to start over. Sometimes He will tell you to take a big step in the direction you are headed, sometimes you have to be patient and take small steps again.
Whatever the case, don’t treat God like an automatic toilet.
I do not remember a time in my life where being a Jedi Knight was not a secret ambition of mine, and sadly my childhood dreams have not in the least bit faded over time.
Unfortunately my blood donor card makes no mention of a high Midi-Chlorian count which would signify that have the genetic possibility of becoming a Jedi so I just have to pretend. If you aren’t nerdy enough to know what I am talking about, just look it all up on Wookieepedia.com, the Wikipedia of the Star Wars Universe (I’m not joking, it is real…and rather informative).
Fortunately for me, advancements in bathroom sanitation technology have made my Jedi Knight role playing all the more fulfilling.
Everything is automatic.
I can storm into any public restroom and start waving my hand around like Obi Wan Kenobi and things start moving at my command. Toilets start flushing, faucets begin running, soap starts dispensing and paper towels roll out all at my beckoning. Those weak minded machines never saw me coming.
Sometimes I try and make the experience more convincing so I make light saber noises with my mouth, but I usually try and make sure nobody is in one of the stalls first.
I can already feel you judging me through the computer screen.
Believe it or not but I am not the only one who wishes life were like a public restroom. We all like the idea of being able to just wave our hand around and things start happening for us. “Effort” can feel like a dirty word sometimes, especially when it comes to things like faith. When we are given a promise or vision from God we are often caught between two conflicting ideas: do we take total control and just make things happen on our own time and with our own strength? Or do we sit on our butts and just wait on something miraculous to happen? Neither of them sound like great options so we usually settle for what we think is a happy medium- not making a whole lot of effort but waving our arms around just enough to show God that we are at least trying.
Reading the book of Acts gives me the impression that having faith is even cooler than the Force. Disciples went into a city, starting waving their hands around, and blind people started seeing. Crippled people started walking. Bad people fell over dead. People teleported and disappeared. As much as I hate to admit it, Master Yoda couldn’t do half the things the Apostle Paul could. If faith were always that exciting everybody would have it. Unfortunately, the faith that is usually required of us is the slow grinding kind of faith. It is the years and years spent in the gap between where we are and where we know God is taking us. It is in the“meantime” between where we want to be with God and where we see our self every morning.
Where, then, is the balance? How do we “wait” on God while still doing everything in our power to make steps toward the goal? I have to do something, but I can’t do everything.
I am discovering that living by faith is more like backing up a trailer than using the Force. In case you are unaware, backing up a trailer is one of those rites of passages into manhood. It is a skill learned only by experience.
I, personally, have not perfected this skill and so I still need someone to guide me. This person stands just to the side of where I want the trailer to go where I can still see him in my side view mirror. They then use hand motions to tell me exactly where the trailer needs to go and how I need to get there.
Most of the time, this is a very slow process for me because I cannot just throw it into reverse and floor it because I will most certainly jack-knife or run over a small child. But I can’t just sit there and expect everything to work itself out. I have to go foot by foot with the guide telling me everything step by step.
Those who lean toward doing everything on their own want God out of the picture and those who are content to just sit and wait want Him to be the driver and themselves out of the picture. Instead, God wants to be our guide guy while He teaches what He wants to.
When we are in that in between phase we have to do something and not be a faucet Yoda, but we cannot be the guy who runs over small children with trailers. It is all in the baby steps.
When God has given you a promise, point your focus in your best interpretation of the direction God wants you to go. Then take a small step. Set some money aside. Pray more. Buy a book about an area you think you might later have to be knowledgeable in. Do some research. Then stop.
Look around. See if you are walking in the right direction. Look back at your guide and see where He is telling you to go.Then take another step, and another, but never loose sight of your Guide. Sometimes He will tell you to stop. Sometimes He will tell you to keep going. Sometimes He will tell you that you went in the wrong direction and will have to start over. Sometimes He will tell you to take a big step in the direction you are headed, sometimes you have to be patient and take small steps again.
Whatever the case, don’t treat God like an automatic toilet.
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