Sometimes I spout nonsense

I hope the reader might protest on my behalf, "Not usually!" In fact, I'd hope nonsense forms only a small piece of even any individual piece that I post, except in those rare moments when I'm aiming for silliness. But sometimes when I look at something I've shared with someone a phrase will jump out at me that makes me shake my head and say, "Whoa, that wasn't right."

The most recent was this morning when a friend of my wife's parents was lamenting that the weather and road conditions kept her from a ministry that she holds dear. In fact, I agree that it is a vital service to families who are facing very difficult times. What I told her was mostly true, and the part that was wrong doesn't really detract from the message of encouragement that I was trying to convey. What I said, in part, was, " . . . for it is God who brings comfort. Usually he does it directly through you; today he will find another way."

So what's wrong with that? Only that it implies that God makes his arrangements in response to our decisions rather than knowing them already. It isn't that God will find another way, but that God has already made another way, knowing the circumstances of this day. Furthermore, that "other way" is generally better for all concerned today than what we might have thought the plan to be.

(Okay, so "nonsense" might be a little harsh . . . )