Sunday, February 09, 2014

11 year olds, volcanoes and God

Funny thought occurred to me yesterday.

I was helping a friends son to make a volcano.  Interesting though that he had a lot of trouble getting motivated for the project. The laptop was a constant distraction for him. I just observed the whole process. My participation was mostly just to point the family at my video tutorial on how to make a volcano.

About an hour later the project was just about done, needing only paint. And I chirped in a bit; giving him praise for doing a nice job. He didn't respond much to that.

"Wasn't that fun?" I asked.
"No"

"You made something with your hands. You did it yourself." That wasn't fun?
"No, it was work"

I was a bit stumped here. Trying to figure a way to make it a positive experience for him.

"But firing off that volcano will be fun right?"
"Yes"
His disposition brightened a bit.

The  interaction triggered a series of thoughts in me.

On a daily basis I make things. That's my "job". And I enjoy it thoroughly. But it occurred to me that there is a subtle goal with certain things like catapults and volcanoes. The building is an act of bringing the thing to "its" potential. You build it then release it to do what it was supposed to do.
The catapult shoots its projectile and the volcano erupts its magma.

There are two joys in all this.
The first joy is the feeling of the work I am doing. The second joy is the knowing that the catapult, or volcano, has become what it is supposed to be. It does what it was meant to do. It can only be that which it is. That which it was meant to be. And it does it with perfection. I can't interfere in that. I have to release it to be what it is. And feel the fun and joy of that.

And therein lies the parallel to God - and why he doesn't interfere in our lives.