Here’s the seventh in my series of devotionals on woodworking. The rest of this series can be found on my author page! Enjoy!
Every piece of wood has a will of its own, a unique grain. A skilled woodworker will examine a piece of wood carefully to ascertain the direction of the grain and then go with the grain. To ignore the natural tendency of the wood could spell disaster for a project.
God our Father knows that each of us has a will of our own… .
With his power, the Father could override that free will and impose his desires on our lives, but instead he chooses to go with the grain, allowing us to make choices, even when those choices might make things harder for him. In the Garden of Eden, God told Adam and Eve not to eat from a certain tree in the middle of the garden, but they chose to ignore his command and go their own way. That simple choice introduced a world of difficulty for the rest of us ever since. What a contrast to Jesus in another garden where he prayed to his Father, “I want your will, not mine.”
Why would God give us free will when he was aware we’d make bad choices? Because he loves us. He respects us. He woos us to his side. Only when we choose to seek him does he then begin his work in our lives, shaping something beautiful for all to see.
What choices have you made this week? Did they take you closer or farther from the God who loves you?
Father, help me to make wise choices today that conform my will to your own.
