Monday, November 14, 2011

how to motivate a hinge.

The questions collide in my soul with the force of the sun at daybreak. 

How do you motivate a hinge? 
(proverbs 26:14) 

and

Why did Jesus get seemingly all upset
 at the woman asking to 
heal her daughter 
from a demon? 
(Matthew 15:21-28)

 Did you know that there are no kiddos in the bible that asked for anything of Jesus?  No requests. Nothing. Nada. That surprised me, cuz well, my world changers ask for stuff all the time. They are children and they need stuff. So, why, in the most important book in my life is there no mention of children asking for anything?  I think the answer is found in a hinge. 


A hinge only works if someone attaches it to something. Then, it only moves if someone moves it. A hinge can't do anything by itself. It's a formed piece of metal that has a specific use. It doesn't get to decide if it wants to be a hinge. It just is. So when Proverbs likens a hinge to a lazy person it has me thinking.  

 My heart begins to sort out the evidence. 
  • in the bible children don't ask for anything.. a parent does on their behalf 
  • a hinge is like a lazy person.. it needs outside force for it to work. 
  • children can be lazy and drive their parent's nutso. 
A ton of bricks comes off my chest when I realize that it's my job as a parent to ask God to motivate a changer into something other than a door hinge. It's not my job to motivate. I can however, plead with the Father over and over just like the woman did when she asked that He heal her daughter in Matthew. Jesus wasn't mad at her for asking. He knew she had the faith and could have healed her right there on the spot, but maybe it wasn't about healing her daughter.  Maybe it was about a woman drawing closer to the Father over and over on behalf of her child. Maybe instead of just trusting the hinge to work on it's own or even forcing it to work, the mother knew the only way for her daughter to be healed was to go to the Father ask him to move it... and to keep asking until the Father healed her child. 


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