When They See War

I wanted a spreadsheet, and a college student who was temporarily available knew how to make spreadsheets, so I hired her to do it. She got started, but was called to her next job a week sooner than expected, so I was stuck with a half-finished product. At first I was discouraged, and annoyed that she’d blown me off so readily, but I recalled a former co-worker who could finish it for me. I asked him, and he was willing and able, so I sent him what I had, and told him what I wanted.

Unfortunately, he didn’t like the way she had written the sheet. He tried to tell me everything that was wrong with it, and what I would need to do, while I tried to tell him that all I wanted was a sheet that would do what I needed, to save me time. I wound up in tears, and he (I suspect) went off shaking his head over women. A week or so later, he emailed me the unfinished version of his new spreadsheet. Again I was in tears. That’s what happens when you ask a man for help. You don’t get what you want, you get what he thinks you ought to have! This will make more work for me than the way I do it now! I don’t want this! So I went upstairs and poured out my troubles on the Lord’s shoulder, and within minutes, my entire attitude had changed.

Suddenly I knew I was not going to quit on this. I looked more closely at what he had sent me, noted the things that were good and useful, and made a clear and precise list of about eight things that I wanted changed. Then I gave him my list, and we cheerfully argued and struggled our way along until he produced a spreadsheet that does exactly what I want it to do.

This morning I realized that I’m going to have to do the same thing with my hair. It seems that hair-dressers do the same thing: they cut your hair the way they want it, not the way you want it. Rather than giving up, as is my wont, I must persistently, clearly, and boldly communicate exactly what I want. Lately I’m finding this same principle necessary in nearly every area of my life.

In Exodus it says that the Lord did not lead the people out of Egypt by the short route, lest, when they saw war, they change their minds and return to Egypt. Now I understand. War doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re fighting with someone over something. It means we face opposition in our circumstances. If we quit every time any thing doesn’t happen just the way we like, we are not ready to possess our promised land. We need determination that will inspire us to seek the Lord for creative solutions.

We’ve got to be so determined to possess the promise that we’re willing to do battle.

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