What If I Don't Want To?

Photo by Clare Bloomfield at FreeDigitalPhotos.net              

I am doing what God has told me to do, but I don't want to, and I am grumbling. The editing process is atrocious and tedious, and why does it matter anyway? Out of the millions of books currently in publication, mine will not make any difference.

 God, however, has a different opinion on that subject. This came from an email this week by Pastor Greg Laurie, James 4:17. "Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it."

Ouch.

The next morning, the meditation from Living Faith talked about St. Paul’s conversion. After being knocked off his horse and blinded by bright light, St. Paul asked, “What shall I do, sir?” Acts 22:10.

I would not like God to get my attention in the same way.

So, what would you have me do, Lord?

The answer came the following morning in My Living Faith devotional. Saint Angela Merici, the founder of the Sisters of Saint Ursula, said, “We must unceasingly believe, hope, and act.”

I do believe. I do hope, but exactly how does God want me to act? Did he really mean he wanted me to sit hour after hour at the computer searching out repetitive, misspelled words in a manuscript? Why?  

His reply came in my next reading, Mark 4: 1-20, the parable of the sower. Verse 14: “He that soweth, soweth the word.”

Now I understand. My fellow authors and I are planting seeds of faith through our stories.

God affirmed this with yet another e-mail from Pastor Greg Laurie. “God has put us where we are for such a time as this. We need to bring good news in a bad world.”

All right, so I am supposed to continue working on the words, tweaking and adjusting in order for them to make more sense, to flow better, and do a better job of sharing God’s good news.

I would hate it if God knocked me off my chair, yelled at me, and then blinded me for three days.

However, I think God yelled at me, just now - as if I hadn't gotten the point, already.

Today’s prayer in Good Morning Lord:

“Reading Directions. If something isn’t working right, perhaps it isn’t put together correctly.  We failed to follow your directions, which are your commandments.”

Hmmm. I guess I know what I’ll be doing today, and tomorrow, for as long as necessary, digging out all my self-editing books and following a list of instructions. And, I don’t think it would be wise to grumble about it either.