Fighting Gravity
My granddaughter does not believe in gravity. She sits in her high chair, leans over and stares at the ground. She drops her pacifier over the edge of her chair. Her weary parents eventually tire of the game of retrieval. Sadly, neither one of them possess the labrador gene that carries with it a love for fetching. On the umpteenth toss her parental units allow the pacifier to succumb to gravity. She looks startled; she frowns; she wails. She stares at both the object of her affection and her parents as if they have betrayed her. Why won’t her pacifier return to her? She WANTS it! Shouldn’t that be enough?
No. Because despite her passionate desire to be able to both drop her pacifier and have it return to her on a whim, her desires violate the law of gravity. She is a baby and she is learning how the world works. Aren’t we all?
Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don’t have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn’t yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it.
You wouldn’t think of just asking God for it, would you? And why not? Because you know you’d be asking for what you have no right to. You’re spoiled children, each wanting your own way.
You’re cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way. And do you suppose God doesn’t care? The proverb has it that “he’s a fiercely jealous lover.” And what he gives in love is far better than anything else you’ll find. It’s common knowledge that “God goes against the willful proud; God gives grace to the willing humble.”
So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet. James 4:1-10 The Message
In what ways have you been fighting gravity?
