I’ve tried to make this point in any number of sermons, but I really like the way Shane Claiborne puts it.

“God doesn’t want to change the world without us. There are times when we throw our hands up at God and say, “Do something!” and if we listen closely, we can hear God respond, “I did do something. I made you.” Sometimes we are waiting on God, and God is waiting on us. When it comes to combatting injustice, this has proved to be true: God wants our help. Certainly, God can work miracles without us. It’s not that God needs us but that God wants us, and that is pretty spectacular. So next time you ask God to move a mountain, don’t be surprised if God hands you a shovel. This is a divine conspiracy. We get to be a part of the action.” — Shane Claiborne, The Irresistible Revolution, Updated and Expanded: Living as an Ordinary Radical (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2015), 61.

In a previous post, I commended the Irresistible Revolution to you (especially because Amazon.com has an electronic version for just under a buck). If you read it, I’m sure you’ll find things you disagree with (I sure did), but I think you’ll also find yourself liking Shane and the sense of joy and adventure he brings to the prospect of faithful Christian discipleship.