Susan Thom

I’ll Be There When You Need Me, God


Posted: Sunday, August 10, 2008

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I often find myself asking God for one thing or another. Always prefaced with "Please," of course. "Please don't let it rain for my picnic, Please let me make it to my appointment on time. Please let these pants fit. Please don't let the deer eat my roses." So many pleases. I don't keep track of them, but I know there are many a day. I need God at those moments, and He pulls through on the important ones. The other ones, He's the one saying, "Pleeease!" I always try anyway. "Please don't let me hit this telephone pole, Please don't let tonight be garbage night, Please save Anna's child through this cancer ordeal." Now, which two of those do you think He might answer?

What is my role to play in this needing business? How about dropping cookies off to the older woman who lives alone next door? How about stopping at Duncan Donuts one morning and bringing in a box of donuts for everybody at work? How about trying to be the very best you know how to be? How about being honest and dependable, trustworthy and loyal, caring compassionate, and passionate? How about understanding the idea of working on yourself, and creating an even better you! How is your patience level? Anger up there, too? How are you at sharing? Do you keep in touch with your relatives? Do your think if you did, it would make God happy, and proud of His child?Do you smile and talk to people when you're out, no matter if it's Wal-Mart's, the mall, the A & P, the pharmacy? Do you let a car pull out in front of you in traffic? Did you ever let someone go in front of you in line that had less items?

Did you ever get a jar of tomato sauce down from the third shelf for a little old lady who was too short to reach it? Did you ever help an older man pick out a nice card for his wife? All of these examples are from my own life experience. I also think they are examples of what God needs from me. I am one of his "helpers" to stimulate good relations, and positive energy. I had a choice to accept or refuse, but I like being nice to people and helping people, so I accept His desire for me to do good on Earth.

I have been told I can write, and that I may even be good at it. Taking hours to write articles that may help someone else, is what God needs from me. He has put the thought in my head, now I have to get them out there. I try to oblige. Now, we're more even, I ask Him for things I need, and He asks me for things He wants me to do. Neither of us is done, however. None of this is done in any other fashion than pure instinct. I believe God would want all His children to be nice and to love one another. That little matter of free choice always does some in. They believe it's okay to manipulate and lie, steal, judge, and hurt another person. There are some who believe in righteousness and revenge. They feel their actions are justified, so they do whatever they have to in order to "make someone pay."

God doesn't ask that of us, we do those actions on our own. We try to justify them in our heads, but if something we're doing, is hurting another person, it's simply wrong. God's answers to "Please help me" will be few and far between. We shouldn't expect to receive happiness when we are creating havoc in life. One day we're trying to ruin someone, and the next day, our shoulder hurts. There begins the "Please, God, take this pain away." How long do you think you're going to wait for that one? God's love is unconditional, but I think He gives out special favors to those who do good, from the bottom of their hearts, not out of a desire to get something back from Him.

It takes so little to make someone happy. In this day of technology, you can keep in touch with family and friends by email, or websites, or blogs. You can send pretty pictures and make someone smile, or funny pictures to make someone laugh. You can send an e card and melt someone's heart. You can send a get well card, or any of a number of different occasions. You can send pictures of your roses in bloom, or your dog in a cute pose, the idea's are endless. These are simple things to do to bring joy to another. Do you believe that makes God happy? Do you think He believes you are making good use of your time here on Earth?

What if you are grouchy, cranky, argumentative, and just plain mean? You snarl at everyone you meet, and there is no doubt by the look on your face, that you are not happy. No one at the local pharmacy or food store wants to deal with you. People draw straws as to who is going to be the lucky one that day. The doctor's office wishes you would change doctors. One nurse refuses to ruin her day by having contact with you. These are not good signs of a life fulfilling God's needs from us. How can we ask, "Please let this gout clear up" when we just humiliated the nurse?

I don't think it works both ways. I don't think we get to do bad and malicious things, and then expect God to "Please answer my prayers." You wouldn't give your child a cookie after he just kicked his sister. You still love your child, and hope you can teach him that kicking his sister is wrong, and why, and hopefully, he won't do it again. Nonetheless, if the next day comes, and he has the same reaction, no cookie. There are positive energies, and negative ones.

Guess who knows the difference?



Susan Thom is the mother of three children, two sons, 20 and 23, and a daughter 25. Her older son is in the air force in Germany right now, and her daughter is in the army in Tacoma, Washington.

Writing calms her, and gives her a place to go by herself! Clears the head and gets it out. She lives in a rural area, with a lake and mountains, and her partner, and has loved writing since she was a child.

She has been on a journey of self discovery for twenty years, and has learned many things about the human mind, and how to maintain some semblance of calm and peace within.

If someone reads one of her stories, and relates to her feelings, and gets a suggestion on how she dealt with them in a positive way, that would be the ultimate gift of her writing.

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