The Hammer (Or, "Why We Aren't Making a Difference")

The other day we were preparing for my son's birthday party. Being good hosts is important to us, so we were working hard to get our house in the best shape it can possibly be. This meant also making some repairs that needed to be made, which specifically meant to repair the curtains that our giant labrador had torn down while barking at the (choose one of the following: mail man, utility man, neighbors, squirrels, deer, guests, etc...).

So out I brought my modest toolset and started getting to work putting the third batch of holes into our rented wall (fairwell security deposit!) and making my wife a happy woman (hello happy marriage!).

In all the noise of hammering and drilling my son became very excited and decided he was going to "help" as well. He proceeded to find his small wooden hammer and went around looking for anything loose in the house that he could hammer back into place. In short, he was helping in spirit only.

Of course, usually we wouldn't mind. We love to encourage any good traits being displayed in our kids, even if the actions of those traits are about as fruitful as me staring at a wall. Unfortunately for our son this time he continued hammering well after I had finished making my noise and my wife had put the baby down for a nap. Those with newborns will understand, but nap time is a sacred time in the house, and that sacred time was on the verge of being ruined.

We asked our son to stop, and he did for about a minute. We asked him again and the words went in one ear and out the other. So now it was time for action. We sat him down in the kitchen and gave him an ultimatum: hold onto your hammer and stay seated, or give us your hammer and get up.

Now it seems easy right? I mean, why wouldn't you just give up the hammer? But that's not how it works with 7-year-olds. He doth protested, and protested much.

"I'm only trying to help!"

"Why are you so mean!?"

"I don't want to give up my hammer!"

"I don't want to sit down!"

On and on it went and it baffled me (although it shouldn't have, because this is what kids do). So he sat there, very upset. And I actually felt sad for him. I knew that his heart was only to help, but unfortunately because he wouldn't listen his "helping" was actually a problem. As this emotion of pity hit me I heard the Lord say, "Now you know what it's like."

Whoa. No sooner did He say that to me then I was flooded with a revelation. I got a flash vision of many people, myself included, who had held ourselves back. We had such good intentions but our intentions were outside of what God was doing in the moment, and it held us back.

In that moment I got an insight into how God sees many of us at various times in our lives. We are the children holding onto our hammer, crying out "We just want to help!" but God can't use us. Because we want to help on our own terms and not on His, and that makes us more harmful to His plans than helpful. We aren't listening to His voice calmly saying "Here's how you can help" and giving us directions. Instead we're taking tools that helped us before and trying to use our limited understanding to do things our own way. As a result we just mess up until finally God has to say "sit this one out, you're not ready."

It reminds me of when Jesus told Peter, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you like wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith would not fail; and when you have returned to me, strengthen your brethren."

'But he (Peter) said to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go with you, both to prison and to death."

'Then He said, "I tell you Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you deny me three times." - Luke 22:31-34

Peter was so ready to HELP. He was so ready to go down fighting alongside his Savior. Yet Jesus knew he wasn't ready. Jesus knew that Peter didn't yet understand. Peter wanted to help but he didn't want to help the way Jesus needed him to. So Jesus had to have him stay behind, and let Peter grow in understanding before he was ready to really be a part of what Jesus was doing on earth.

Between Jesus and the disciples there are many interactions like this. Interactions where the disciples think to do one thing but Jesus tells them to do another. Interactions where Jesus has to step in and make up for their lack of faith or knowledge. It's all over the gospels.

In all these situations they are trying to do the right thing. Their intentions are good. But whenever Jesus corrects them it's because they didn't go to Him FIRST. They didn't find out what He was doing FIRST. Meanwhile Jesus lives perfectly, and why? Because "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner." - John 5:18

Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing. Before He did anything He checked in with Father to make sure He was partnering with God, and therefore able to move forward the will of God.

So many of us want to do the same, yet we are holding ourselves back by refusing to give up what we think we know, by holding on to what we are comfortable with.

It can be so many different things. We can be holding onto bad beliefs which are stunting our growth in God. We can be holding onto fear. We can be trying to use a principle which may be good, but is in the wrong timing. Or maybe we are simply trying to do something in our own strength while God is asking us to be patient so He can work. Maybe it's that we just don't understand what He's doing and so instead of pursuing understanding we try to frame it through our own little brains. Maybe it's that we have a sin in our lives that we are unwilling to step away from. Maybe it's a habit that isn't necessarily bad, but needs to be sacrificed for a season.

It can be a lot of things, but it comes down to one thing; are we listening to His voice? Some of the best Christians get stuck simply because they are afraid of trying new things after years of other things working. Moses was afraid to speak to the rock because he didn't want to be embarrassed, and because hitting the rock is what worked the first time (Numbers 20). His intentions were good, but He didn't trust God in the moment. As a result, God knew Moses wasn't ready to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. This was MOSES people. The greatest prophet to ever live! And even he had a moment when he held onto his "hammer", and as a result God had to sit him down and say "sorry Moses, not this time."

I believe that most of us want to do big things in this life and for God. I believe we all, after choosing Jesus, naturally have good intentions. But that's not enough. It's enough to be saved, but not enough to make a difference, it's not enough to change the world. Jesus showed us the perfect method, He gave us the secret. Looking to God and listening to His voice to find out what He's doing. Before stepping forward in anything we should always be finding what He's doing. Sometimes it's obvious. Sometimes we have the answer already. Some things are laid out perfectly clear in Scripture. Other things need His relational guidance. We should always be checking in with Him to find which is which.

God is always looking to promote us. He is always looking to bless us and reward us. He is also always looking to use us. He wants to partner with us in changing the world. He also wants to have a lot of fun with us and enjoy us. I believe most of us want that with Him too. In submitting to Him, in trusting Him, we will be able to accomplish more and enjoy life more than we ever dreamed possible. But it takes the sacrifice of giving our hopes, dreams, desires to Him.

My son, zealous to help and upset that he couldn't, sat there for a while clutching his hammer. Finally I got down to his level, looked him in the eyes and said, "Jacob, I just need you to give it to me for a little while. I will give it back later." He then decided to trust me and was able to get up and finish helping, this time in a way that made a difference. Sure enough, he ended up not even missing his hammer and found a whole lot of joy and pride in his work without it. And when it's needed, he'll get his hammer again.

God is ready to do the same with us, if we would just listen.