faith or stupidity?

During a lunch date with a good friend today we discussed this and I have thought about it all day.  So much yet so little  to say!


I grew up in a small town in Indiana.  The church I grew up in was very conservative.  I was young and don't remember any of the sermons really. I remember being in church and singing and the layout but I don't remember details about the services. At any rate... I don't remember hearing people talking about living on faith.  I don't know if that was partly due to the Northern mentality where everything is your own business and no one else needs to know?  I'm not sure.  All I know is that I don't remember in my childhood or even on visits back hearing about people talking about relying solely on the Lord to be their provider.

Since living here in KY, I here it all the time.  But again, I'm not sure if that's because this town is so much larger than where I came from, if it's the difference in cultures or what it is.  But at least once a day I hear someone refer to a situation saying that God will be taking care of everything.  


It's not that I think people here in the south have more faith, because that's not it at all. They just talk about it more.  LOL  But that's true with most things. :)

I guess what I'm getting at but can't seem to find a good way to say it is that people who answer every question with "We don't know, but we have faith that God will provide."  I fully believe in trusting in God and that he works all things out for His will. However, I do not think we are just supposed to sit around and wait for it to happen.  I believe He gave us our brains for a reason. He gave us intelligence to use and experiences to base decisions off of.  Do I believe that He makes things happen for a reason?  That He guides our decisions when we allow it?  Yes.  I do.  But I don't think you're supposed to just sit around and pray for Him to get you out of whatever you've gotten yourself into.

It's like the joke about the woman who is trapped in her home in a major flood.  She prays to God, asking Him to save her.  A few minutes later a rescue group comes in a life raft, but she turns them away saying "my God will provide!".  She continues praying, the water keeps rising.  A couple hours later another boat comes by, but again she turns them away saying "I trust that my Lord will save me!" She continues praying and the water keeps rising.  Several hours later the woman has had to move to the roof to keep from drowning.  A rescue helicopter comes and tries to save her but again, she turns them away saying that "My God will save me!"  They plead with her to come with them, knowing that it will soon by dark and the woman will not likely make it.  She declines still... finally they move on to rescue others trapped by the flood waters.  As warned, the woman drowns in the middle of the night.  When she gets to the pearly gates she is visibly angry.  She says, "I prayed and prayed for You to save me, and you NEVER came!"   In disbelief God replied, "I sent 2 rescue boats and a helicopter!  What more did you want?!?!"

There is more to the joke, but I can't remember exactly what the joke says God told her.  Now that I think about it, it's not a joke so much as a story to learn from... God sends things our way, and can help guide you. But at the same time, he gave us free will.  He allows us to make our own decisions.  As a good friend told me today, our view shouldn't be is this in God's will for me?  but, is this in God's will?  period.

It just drives me crazy when people want to sit around and wait instead of being proactive!  God opens doors, but He doesn't force us through them.  I don't know how to explain it... but  I do know that I fully trust my God to take care of me and mine, but we will not just sit around and wait for Him to show up and do everything for us.  We will act and hope He is glorified in our actions.