At church this morning, the pastor told a story about a biographer
and a politician. The biographer submitted his first draft of his
biography to the politician, and the politician asked, “Is that the best
you can do?” Realizing he could do better, the biographer went back
and worked on another draft. Each time, the politician asked him if
that was the best that he could do, and the biographer would keep
writing drafts. When the biographer submitted his ninth draft, the
politician asked if it was the best that he could do, and the biographer
answered in the affirmative, with frustration. The politician then
replied, “Okay, now I will read it!”
I felt bad for the biographer. The politician hadn’t even read those
previous drafts? How infuriating! But the pastor derived from this
the lesson that God wants us to do our best. Do our best at what? The
pastor said we should do our best at depending on God.
I’ve been depending on God as of late. I was recently thinking about
people I really disliked, and I asked God to help me not to hate them.
Immediately, I felt better. My feelings of resentment and bitterness
lessened. Granted, I may have to pray that again, maybe several times a
day, on some days. But my prayer actually worked then.
Why didn’t it always work in the past, though? Was I especially
tired of my resentment last night, and thus I was willing to let go and
let God rather than trying my best to force my grudge out of my system?
I don’t know.