Manipulating God
Yesterday as we drove home from school Ellie said she heard something. “Someone is whispering to me, Mommy.”
Not one to squelch imagination or spiritual sensitivities, I asked her what it was saying. “It’s God. He says we should play soccer in the backyard today. I think He has a good idea!”
The girl is smart. She’s learned what I value and how to manipulate those resources to get what she wants.
It makes me wonder, how often do we use God to manipulate the truth? Do we credit Him with callings when really our own desires are what lead us to the game? It’s difficult to know when God is speaking to us and when our longings are just so strong within us. We need to be careful not to use God for our own purposes. We are His children and His servants. Let us not confuse the relationship by transposing the roles.
By the way, we did not play soccer yesterday. Apparently Ellie’s negotiation skills aren’t quite as effective on her brother who detests temperatures below sixty degrees. Ah, well … it was a good idea.
Photo by Shannon Pifko.
Posted on March 14, 2008, in Ellie-isms, instructions, perspective. Bookmark the permalink. 2 Comments.
I just wrote in an email to a friend, “Often my passion for the Dream distorts my judgment and I follow my heart rather than God’s voice.”
Thanks for the confirmation!
Once again, girl, you and I are on the same wavelength. I’ve blogged about this before. I know that there are times when God leads us through our desires, but how often do we call our desires His leading?