The one in the middle

Today's sermon was from John 6... if you want to look at it technically it was filled with predestination talk but the way I saw it, wasn't from a "politically spiritual" standpoint but a very personal one. He used an example/picture today that really helped hit home. You're standing in between two friends. Friends who are your greatest, who know you the best, you are all so much alike. Then it comes to a desire for God. Your friend on your right is so passionate about his relationship with God and so at peace. Your friend on the left doesn't understand any of it, says it's all rubbish, he knows who God is, but God can't love him....


Then there's you... standing in the middle.


You, who knows who God is yet you don't love Him or hate him. Where did friend on the right's passion and desire come from? How come you don't have it?

We are like top soil, you go out to the hardware store and buy a bag of top soil, spread it out and wait.... and wait... and wait...where is the growth? Doesn't this stuff grow beautiful things you ask? Not on it's own, a seed must be planted. Plant that seed of desire, oh God. You say that anyone who comes to you will not be turned away. You long for us to know you, yet... where's my seed of desire? I'm begging, what am I doing wrong?

The "Happening"

It's a strange thing for me to hear someone who doesn't have a relationship with God, talk about chance and fate. I was talking with my cousin today and he was saying over and over again how amazing it was that this woman "happened" to be on the exact flight as him to answer all his questions he had about this particular, unplanned trip he was taking, and help him above and beyond what he was expecting? He couldn't get over the fact that she could have flown out of any other airport and on any other day but they happened to be on the same flight and it was all so perfect that they happened to meet up.

Now that tells me a lot about my worldview and how my perceptions have been shaped by my upbringing in the study of the Bible and how God works and moves in our lives. Mostly because the entire time he was talking about "chance" and "happened to" and how amazing it all was, all I wanted to say was "that's so cool how God can bring the right people into our lives at the exact needed moment?" But it also brings up the question in my mind - I've been around enough Christians to know that in that exact situation they would have been praying that God would bring the right person along their path who could answer all their questions and calm all their fears. When it did happen that way, there would be two responses; one, simple amazement and two, recognizing that God answered their prayer as they asked and they would praise Him and tell others of what God did to help them. So here's the question, even though my cousin wasn't giving the praise to God for what took place in his life, was it still God orchestrating? Does He do that in hopes that someday that person would recognize God's work, care and love? Does He do it so that I (the one of the receiving end of the story-telling) can give praise to God?