It’s Not Always All About You
David wanted to build God a temple. He told the prophet Nathan about his plans and Nathan happily lets him know that it sounds like a great idea to him. Only later, after God talked to Nathan, did Nathan have to go back to David and let him know that God did not want him to build a temple after all. In the first place, Nathan explained, as God pointed out, it’s not like he was in need of a home. Second, the tabernacle—a portable tent—had served well for a few hundred years now and God had never voiced any complaints about the arrangement. And finally, although a temple was fine, David’s violence over the years made him not the right man to do the job. Instead, the job of building a temple would go to his son, Solomon. (1 Samuel 7:1-29)
Sometimes we see the goal of God. But sometimes that goal is not for us. We can see the Promised Land, but we’re not allowed to enter it. There are other people in the world besides us, and there are other people in the world that God is working with and through. Just because it’s a good idea and just because God wants to do it, does not mean that you’re the one for the job. God does have a plan for your life; but you’re not alone in having a plan. God is God and you’re not.
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My novel, Somewhere Obscurely, is now available as a free e-book for the Kindle on Amazon. It is normally $7.99; it will remain free through Saturday, January 5, 2013.
Murder. Kidnap. Slavery. Then the real trouble began.
Mohado — vulgar term applied to timeslipped workers. Living as virtual slaves, these desparate workers move back and forth through time at the whims of their employers. This is Aramond Smith O’Reilly’s life. Witness to his mother’s murder, kidnapped, and sold into a life of misery… He will never know where – or when – he will be. After escaping wretched conditions, Aramond rises above his situation. Purchasing a timeship, he becomes the very thing mohados dread and fear: a coyote–one of those who transports and delivers the workers to those who would exploit them.
