Part Of The Plan

A friend was very concerned about the finances of her daughter and family.  "You seriously should plan for your retirement.  You need to start thinking about it now," she urged her child.  "I am not worried.  God will provide for me." her very religious daughter replied.  

My friend was very frustrated.  Her daughter's finances has always been shaky.  Will she ever get to retire?  How is she going to make ends meet?  My friend believes in God, too, but she believes even stronger that God helps those who help themselves.  

When this worried mother vented to me, I could not help thinking about a joke I read on Readers' Digest once upon a time.

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Hurricane hits a town and the whole place is flooded.  The water level is rising quickly, and the government orders the residents to evacuate.  Someone refuses to leave his house because he believes God will take care of him.  His loving neighbors come to get him to evacuate together.  "No, I am not leaving.  My God shall protect me."  

The water is now waist high.  Policemen and firefighters brought a life raft to rescue him.  "I don't need you," the man says.  "My God shall watch over me."  

The water level continues to rise.  The man is now sitting on his roof.  A helicopter comes to fetch him, but the man refuses to go.  "Go away!" the man of faith says.  "I do not need you to save me.  My God shall never abandon me."

It does not take long for the water to, eventually, rise over all the houses.  The man drowns and dies.  

When he meets God, the man is very angry.  "God, I have been such a faithful believer my entire life.  Why didn't you come to my rescue?  How could you let me drown?"  

God sighs and shakes his head, " Have you kept count of how many people I sent to you?  You kept turning them down one after another.  What else do you want me to do?  You expect me to stick my hand down from heaven to pick you up?"

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A friend of mine has been going through a very difficult time.  Because he is a quiet and private person.  I was not sure how to approach him to offer help.  I thought I would talk to a mutual friend who has known him for longer to see if she can offer some advice.  She is aware of the situation, too, but has chosen to resign herself.  "I don't know what to do.  But the Lord knows better.  He always has plans.  I will just pray and leave it to God."

We obviously do not share the same believes.  Given how dire our friend's situation is, I find it amazing that she can say those words so impassively, looking unfazed.  To the contrary, I feel like an ant walking on a hot pan.  The sense of urgency is killing me! 

I cannot help thinking, "God may have a plan, and we don't always know what God's plan is.  How do we know that we are not part of God's plan?  If she believes in God's plan, doesn't she ever wonder why God placed us near our friend?  Maybe the plan was to have us be there to do God's work so as to assist our friend?  We can't just sit and wait for God to perform a miracle all by himself without any mortals as his device.  God would be very busy if we all do nothing and just leave everything to him."  

For that, even though I am not a religious type, I choose to exercise my free will to volunteer as God's little helper . . .