Knowledge is Power

     Johnny wasn't the brightest crayon in the box, or the sharpest tool in the shed, or even the smartest suit in the closet.  What I'm trying to say is that Johnny often made poor judgement calls.
     Johnny's father loved to hunt and was a staunch and proud redneck.  Johnny's father lent him his extra bow and some arrows once so they could go hunting for deer together.
    After a few hours they set themselves up for an easy catch, Papy (Johnny's father) was at the bottom of a hill and scared a few deer up the hill to a waiting Johnny.  As the deer entered the clearing near Johnny, Papy saw him pull back, release and..... the bow snapped in Johnny's face.
     From reviewing what happened, Johnny said, "I held the arrow in place, pulled back the string and let it fly hoping it would catch the arrow along the way, and carry it on through."  Papy was furious at it all, Johnny, hadn't nocked the arrow on the string but just hoped the string and back of the arrow would line up.  From dry firing, the bow snapped because of this horrible misuse.
     Often an incorrect view of God shakes or destroys our faith, just like the bow in this story.  That, or sometimes we expect God to do all the work for us.  For him to scare the deer, knock the arrow, and even pull back the string.  But God has given us this mortal experience to learn and grow. The purpose of this life is not to be pampered, but to be prepared for the life after this.  As we do the small and simple things necessary such as prayer and try to learn more about God, we can come to know him.