When I was a kid, my cousins had all of the cool stuff.  That’s not to say we were jealous and that we didn’t have stuff, it’s just that it seemed like their stuff was much cooler.  We had a cousin who had a pinball machine in the basement, one that had a pool table, one that had an in ground pool and the list goes on.  We didn’t hang out with them often but when we did we knew it would be an adventure.

One cousin had one of those “Magic 8 balls”.  You know what I mean.  A spherical plastic 8 ball filled with some kind of thick transparent liquid and a floating thing inside with messages printed on it.  You were supposed to shake the thing, ask a question to the universe, flip it over and read the answer through a little window in the bottom.  It would say things like “Definitely”, or “Ask again later”, or “It’s a possibility”.  Brilliant insightful advise!   It was just a silly party game, but I remember us not liking the answer so continuing to flip the ball until we got the answer we wanted.

Over the years I’ve had lots of people come to me for advice.  Most of the time it’s over something technical.  What kind of flooring do I like for a kitchen?  How do you hang cabinets?  Are pot lights hard to install?  Those sorts of things.  But sometimes they’re tough life questions.  “Should I take a job offer?”   “My boyfriend wants me to move in with him, should I”.  Why can’t I find a nice girl?  I’ve always tried to give honest heartfelt advice, as painful as that can sometimes be.  Now, I don’t expect people to take my word as gospel, but what frustrates me is when they chose the opposite path, things go horribly wrong, and then they come back to me for more advice.  Which is usually the same advice I gave in the first place.

I think sometimes we want to treat God like our “Magic 8 ball”.  We say we’re seeking God’s will but when we’re not getting the answer “we” want we just flip him over, give him a shake, and ask again.  The other trap is framing the prayer in a way that we think will only produce the outcome we want.  It would be like going to a car showroom to buy a car and telling the salesman that you were totally open to any car on the lot.  Any price, style, color, options, the sky’s the limit as long as it’s not green, white, silver, grey, red, yellow, black, have two doors,  a hatchback, a SUV, get less than 35 miles per gallon, or be made outside the US.  You think you’re being open minded when all you’re really asking for is a blue, four door subcompact!  I think you get the picture.  If you want direction, to really learn God’s will, then you have to approach him and listen with a wide open heart and mind.  Throw out the qualifiers and be open to change.