Week 4: Mission. Day 27

Day 27: Master's smile, Father's path

So today's post has nothing to do with Heartwork. But it has everything to do with God.

A couple of days ago, my family received the movie The Battle of Five Armies in the mail, because we had pre-ordered it on the internet. When we got it, we watched it. It is a fantastic movie throughout, but there was one particular shot that struck me with a thought.

One weird thing about this lesson is that I learned it from a villain. This was an underling who, earlier in the movie, had brought a bad report to his master.

The part that I learned from was in the final battle. This underling was in a fight with one of the good guys. In this fight, the underling actually wins and kills the good guy, who was a prime target for his master. The shot that caught my attention was right after the good guy dies, because the camera looks at the underling, and the guy smiles. I realized that he wasn't smiling just because he was a bad guy and had just killed a good guy. He recognized that he had done well, and could feel his master's pleasure.

Of course, both he and his master are killed during the course of the battle, but not before they had taught me this lesson: We need to be so in touch with God and what he desires that we can feel his pleasure when we accomplish something he would be proud of and happy about.


Another lesson I learned this week I learned on Thursday (the 26th). I was driving on a busy street at a busy time of day. I had entered on the far left lane, and I needed to move over to the right 2 lanes in order to be in position for my next turn. I eventually made it over there.

Soon after I was in position, a spot opened up on my left. I had just been watching for openings in order to change lanes, so that's why I noticed it. I was thinking about taking the spot, but I decided that there may not be enough time to move back over to the lane I needed to be in before I had to turn.

This instance reminded me of the times in life when we have an opportunity before us, that we are perfectly capable of taking, that God may say "no" to. Just because there is a spot open in another lane, doesn't mean we are necessarily supposed to take it. God may need us in the lane we are already in in order to make our next turn.

So here are the two lessons summed up: Feel your master's smile when you accomplish his will, and follow your Father's exact directions, even if there is a good opportunity that takes you just a little off course.