Helping God

When a mother is getting ready to make cookies, her three-year-old comes tearing into the kitchen, muddy footprints trailing behind.

“I want to help, I want to help, plllleeeaaaasseee, Mommy!!!” he screams.

A loving smile turns up her lips as she gazes upon her progeny, so desirous of being part of what she’s doing. Knowing that he will make a far bigger mess, dropping chocolate chips on her freshly-mopped floor, pouring flour all over the counter, and breaking more eggs than she actually needs, she sweeps her son into her arms and says, “Of course, dear, I’d LOVE for you to help me!”

A few years later, Mom is making cookies again and her 10-year-old bounds up the stairs as she yells out, “Don’t bring the mud up with you!”

This time, he quickly kicks off his shoes and runs in, asking, “Are you making cookies? Can I help?”

Now he can actually do a few things that are helpful, but still, the benefits are greatly outweighed by the extra cleanup afterwards. But Mom still says, “Sure, honey, you can do the measurements, okay? That’ll help you with the fractions you’re studying!” she smiles encouragingly.

At 15, her son clomps into the kitchen as his Mom is cleaning up. “Mom, can you make cookies? I could sure use something to munch on right now.”

Seeing that her son needs to talk, she begins pulling out cookie sheets and ingredients. “Sure, Son. Let’s chat while I throw them together.”

Finally, at 22, the son strolls into the kitchen, his arm wrapped around the waist of his new wife. “Mom, is it okay if Rebecca makes some cookies?”

Grateful that they want to be in her kitchen, she says, “That would be wonderful. I’m just finishing the dishes, and I’d love some time together. Why don’t I help you find everything and we can hang out as you cook, Rebecca?”

So often, aren’t most of us are like the first couple of examples when we think we’re going to “help” God do something? We come plowing in, arms and legs flying, making a mess of things, and He joyfully greets us, and enthusiastically lets us join Him in His work of loving the world to life.

As we mature, He lets us do more and more, always joining us because He loves our company so much. However, we never get better at Him than anything, just more skilled at doing different tasks. But the love that must abound in our relationships, in our efforts, in our own hearts for Him must continue in order for whatever we do to be effective. He embraces everything we do because He’s such a loving Father, but He truly doesn’t need us—He simply enjoys having us alongside Him as companions (even though He’s always far more skilled than we could ever be!). When we pray for the sick, walk someone through His Word, showing someone how to find hope in Him, or just want to sit and talk with Him, He’s always present, always enthusiastic about our desire to come close and “help” Him—even when our own desires are to see results, to enjoy the outcome, to show Him what we’ve done. Like the 10-year-old who spilled flour everywhere, eggs dripping off his now-stained-shirt, his mom cleaning up after everything he does, we emerge saying, “Look what I did!!!” when all the while, we were only “helping” our mighty Father by just coming alongside Him in what He was already doing—in His incredible power and incomparable love—trying to keep up with Him, hoping to impress an already doting Father.