Me and My Models

“Don’t just listen to the word. You fool yourselves if you do that. You must do what it says.” James 1:22

I loved model planes and cars as a young boy. That is to say, I loved the idea of assembling them so they would look just as wonderful as the picture on the box. I loved biplanes, and I also lived in Southern California during the “funny car” era of drag racing. So, those were my two primary choices, plus the one odd Plymouth Barracuda. I chose it because favorite teacher drove one, although reverse didn’t work. He had to always park in a way that could drive straight out.

I still like the idea of taking those pieces of molded plastic, getting out the model glue (everyone knew when I was working on models!) and hastily gluing part a to part b, barely waiting to attach part c. My problem then is the same I have now; I’m a bit impatient. That impatience manifested itself in two ways.

One was that I hated to wait. So, if the instructions said, “Let dry for one hour”, I would wait fifteen minutes and then attempt gluing the next piece to the soggy bit not yet fully bonded. My impatience also kept me from reading the instructions carefully. I wanted to get to the activity, not read a bunch of stuff on two sheets of paper. Plus, I thought I had quicker ways to finish my model assembly than the instructions. It’s amazing the vast intelligence a 10 year old possess, especially when gluing his first model with the guidebook of those who actually built the thing in his possession.

The one bit I never could understand was this: “Paint all parts before assembling”. What? Are you kidding? Don’t you see that if you assemble it all, and wait, well, 15 minutes... (Ok, this time I’ll give it a half hour). But, if you assemble it all first, then you can take a full long brush stroke along the plane’s fuselage, saving precious time. Of course, I found out that trying to paint the tiny controls inside the cockpit after they were glued in place was nearly impossible. Yes, my paint jobs, apart from my already questionable skills, were a psychedelic mess. (I just told myself that the running colors were my artistic expression.)

I didn’t mind so much how my models turned out. I spent my time on them, and, well, they at least resembled the picture on the box. I was a humbled quite a bit, though, when Bert came by with his newest model, a ’51 Chevy Woody Wagon. It was incredible! The detail was spot on. He asked about my bi-plane.

So, I pulled out my Sopwith Camel. I hoped the lighting might hide the mistakes, the over-glue, and sloppy paint. It didn’t. He laughed. I didn’t.

Bert was good enough, though, to ask if I wanted to work on my next model with him. Honestly, I don’t remember that we ever did assemble anything. It was probably out of my shame. Having messed it up so bad, I didn’t want him to actually see me at work. If the end product was so terrible, there was no telling what he would think of my work process.

It occurs to me that I treat life this way. I want the product finished now. And, thinking I know best how to handle the troubles of the day, I may ram right into an issue with someone without consulting Scripture. Or, even though I know what God has said, I can’t wait for Him to catch up to my present need. I want the issue resolved now. I don’t care what it takes, I want this trouble, this person, this financial situation dealt with now. The problem is that, when I think this way, I often discard God’s ways and try to find a quick and easy solution. I pay off a loan with credit cards not realizing that now I’m in deeper with higher interest. I pull like a dog with a bone, trying to prove I’m right, instead of doing what I can to resolve the relationship, as Jesus tells us. Someone treats me unfairly, and I talk badly about them, are dishonest with them, and lose an opportunity to actually win a relationship back.

We truly do fool ourselves if all we do is listen to what God says. And, we American believers have every opportunity to listen. We are drowning in words about the Word. We can swim, summer or winter, in teachings and instructions and doctrines and the “deep issues of God”. Gushing from pulpits, podcasts, television, radio and the latest books, we are overflowing with hearing.

I think that sometimes we do all this “hearing” because it feels so good and righteous. But it also keeps us from “doing”. We can quote Scripture, advise others and be the first one to find the referenced passage in a Bible Study. But, are we known for caring about the poor. Do people think about us as those helping the downtrodden? Are we befriending the friendless, visiting the sick, caring for the hurting? And, do we stay at it, past the point of our own personal endurance?

I don’t want to put my faith together the way I did those models. I want to be well-read but patient enough to apply what I know without taking shortcuts. I want to hear the urging of God’s Spirit, and tend to the little details no one else can see, before doing the big stuff I hope everyone notices.

I fooled myself about my model plane abilities; until someone who was a real model assembler came along. Compared to somebody who was putting the “word” into practice, my Sopwith Camel looked like a Sickened Mongoose. I want to live up to what I’ve already heard so that people will see how good Father God actually is.