Building Models as a Metaphor for the Fruitful Christian Life: Getting Started and Keeping At It.

Another way that leading a fruitful Christian life is like building a model is that we have to start, and keep, working at it.

Many of us had the experience as kids of buying a really neat looking model, taking it home, but being overwhelmed by its complexity once we opened the box. Or maybe something else—a ball game, a TV show, our buddies—distracted us from getting past the initial steps of assembling it. We put the model aside, delaying, or perhaps completely abandoning, the joy of competing it.

The same thing happens in our Christian lives. God gives us a glimpse of His plans and we eagerly buy into them. But once we get started, it becomes apparent that they’re much harder to execute than we anticipated and we are sorely tempted to set them aside. That's aggravated by the many other things competing for our time. The result is the same: we don’t get the joy of doing God’s will.

The good news is that help is available. Just as our parents were usually eager to help if we asked (indeed, some enjoyed the process more than we did), our Heavenly Father is more than happy to help us implement His plans. He created the parts and wrote the instructions, so He knows just what we need. Like a good parent, He won’t jump in unless we ask for His help (although he may nudge us to get back at it), but He eagerly awaits our request and is happy to help us put things together.

That doesn’t mean that we don't have serious work to do, but it does mean that we can get it done, and done right, with His help. All we have to do is ask.

(A series of images dealing with building models was posted January 10, 2005 here, here, here, and here.

Images about diligence/perseverance in doing God’s will were posted on October 1, 3a, 8, and 17 and November 7, 2004 and January 10c, June 11, 13, and 18; July 15 and August 27, 2005.

Images about God providing things we need, but can’t provide for ourselves, were posted September 12a, 17a, and 18c, October 3a, 3b November 6, 10, 21 and 27, 2004 and January 2, 10b, and 10c, June 13 and 27, 2005.)