Behind The Scenes

I've been reading a wonderful book by Anne Lamott entitled Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith. So far it is a really engaging, light-hearted, and sometimes thought-provoking look at her journey of faith. One passage really got me thinking...

Again and again I tell God I need help, and God says, "Well isn't that fabulous? Because I need help too. So you go get that old woman over there some water, and I'll figure out what we're going to do about your stuff."

Now, I haven't really been the type to think that God is this Master Puppeteer-type just sitting up there in Heaven pulling our strings and dancing us around for His pleasure, but I have experienced Him being a kind of set director behind-the-scenes, orchestrating how my actions are going to affect the scene for the next person.

I guess I just really liked how she phrased it. I think so often we ask God for help, expecting Him to just deliver (right now!) without assuming anything from us. Not to say that He wouldn't help us if we ignored his petition (after all, "...God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" ~Romans 5:8).

But it is really neat to know that He can use us and that we can be an active part of His plan if only we would keep our ears out for His still small voice stirring our hearts to serve.