Excerpt from Deuteronomy 30:15-20

"I have set before you life and death… Choose life."

Reflection by William C. Green

Sometimes I do what I think best only to discover that it wasn't the best thing to do.  I try to help by doing something useful when the best help could be praying that God do what I can't.

I can't do a lot about a friend hurting from loss of a job, or someone in the family who drinks too much, or a son or daughter caught in a life-style I know spells trouble.  Sometimes I can't do much about myself.  The harder I try to do what I know is best, the more that can backfire—as when trying to lose weight that’s all I can think about, or wanting to be more patient and understanding, the less patient and understanding I become with myself, not helping matters at all.  W.C. Fields had a point: "Try, try, try again.  Then quit.  No use being a [darned] fool about it."

We can't "choose life" if that means trying to do what we think best.  As Moses makes clear, it's not what we think best that counts.  It's what God thinks best.  We're told in today's scripture passage that doing what's best and "choosing life" means turning to God, trusting that blessing will be forthcoming beyond anything we can make happen.

Can I be a channel of this blessing?  God can still our hearts and minds and make that so.

Prayer

O God, I want to be helpful.  So do you.  May I know when to get out of the way.  Amen.

About the Author William C. Green, a United Church of Christ minister, is the Director of Long Looking, a consultancy service specializing in fundraising and education for congregations. His new book, 52 Ways to Ignite Your Congregation: Generous Giving, has just been published.

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