- Mood:
- What's for Dinner: Leftovers
Yesterday I watched an old movie on TCM that I'd never heard of, Stars in My Crown. It didn't knock my socks off, but it was pretty good and it was neat to see James Mitchell (Palmer Cortlandt, All My Children) and Amanda Blake (Miss Kitty, Gunsmoke) so young. There was a scene where the gospel minister was talking to a classroom of students and he told them (paraphrasing here), "Don't lean so much on God that you forget how to help yourself." That line really struck me as profound and it's advice I wish more people would follow.
I was reminded of the old joke about the man in a great flood. His town is evacuating as the river rises, but he refuses to leave his home, saying that he has faith and God will save him. The river overflows and as he is standing on his front porch with the water at his feet, a neighbor in a rowboat comes by and tells him to get in and he will take him to safety. He refuses and says, "I have faith in the Lord. The Lord will save me." As the boat passes by, the man prays to God to save him.
The water continues to rise and the man is forced to go up to his second floor. As he looks out his window, another man in a speedboat nears and calls for him to jump in. Again the man refuses, saying, "I have faith in the Lord. The Lord will save me." As the boat speeds off, the man again begins praying for God to save him.
Eventually the water rises so high the man is forced onto his roof. A rescue helicopter flies over and they shout that they will lower a rope ladder to him. The man shakes his head and waves them off, yelling, "I have faith in the Lord. The Lord will save me." As the helicopter fades out of sight, the man once more prays to God to save him.
The water continues to rise until the man is finally washed away and he drowns. When he gets to Heaven, he marches over to God and says, "Heavenly Father, I don't understand. I had faith in you. I prayed to you to save me, and yet you didn't. Why?" God gives him an exasperated, puzzled look and says, "My child, I sent two boats and a helicopter. What more did you expect?"
Prayer can be a good thing, but sometimes the answer to a prayer is the obvious solution staring you right in the face or the good advice you may not necessarily want to hear delivered by someone who may not look like an angel. It's not always a miraculous burning bush. And sometimes you may actually have to take action to solve a problem instead of waiting for divine intervention to solve it for you.
Just my thoughts for the day.
0 total comments.
and landed in your neck of the woods. Nice place you have here. Will visit again soon. Wishing you a spiffy Tuesday! 
Happy New Year AD. 
Merry Christmas, Francine. 
Bravenet Blog 
Blog Community
Get a Free Blog
Manage your Blog
bravenet.com