God Helps Those...

Well, this morning my sister and I were visiting and one of the topics was a recap of a discussion I had with one of my fellow Constitutional Convention Delegates in which I ended by quoting "they say God helps those who help themselves."  "That's from the scriptures."  And he looked at me expectantly.  Of course, I couldn't think of the Book, Chapter or verse.   I was going to ponder and then probably pontificate (Hmm) on the matter when the pastor's wife walked by and gave me a bit of encouragement regarding my discussion.  He promptly took the opportunity to escape, probably thanking God that he'd had a notification for firemen just a few minutes before.  Being as there was a bit of time since some had a few miles to travel to get there, he'd a few minutes to spare.   So, it sort of ended there.

And so, my sister had become involved on her phone and I, then, assumed she was playing her game which she usually does whenever I start my "lecture mode."  I quit talking and she looked at me.  I made some remark to which she replied "I was waiting for you to finish. Are you?"  I nodded.

She proceeded to inform me that "God Helps Those Who Help Themselves" while often quoted as being from the Bible isn't actually in the Bible.  What is in the Bible is "God helps those who Can Not help themselves" which is the definition of grace."  She gave me the Books, Chapters and Verses.  She'd surprised me because she'd not been playing her game, she'd been doing a bit of research.

I vaguely remembered looking up the quote once upon a time and this explained my inability to quote Chapter and Verse to my erstwhile fellow delegate.  Hmmm.  T'any rate, Sis and I discussed this a bit further and I told her bout Mom and Auntie being frustrated with me upon trying to get me to do something.  This had entered the conversation when one of the persons being aided by Monty Don of 'Big Dreams, Small Spaces' which we were watching this fine sunshiny morning, described one of her faults as researching first, then doing.  A fault I recognize in myself.  Especially as she said it was probably annoying to some people. 

After I finally worked through all the steps required to get to the point where I got what they were trying to tell me, Mom and Auntie would laugh at the light bulb finally lighting up upon my discovery that much of what I had thought was necessary Wasn't.  I was actually doing something in a much faster time then before.  Well, to get this straight in my head, I put all this back into a form that I am fond of using: Big picture to small. 

"So, God helps a person to learn whatever it is He wants them to learn and once it is learned, He leaves us to do whatever it is and then proceeds to work on the next thing He wants us to learn.  Cause He wants us to be doing for ourselves.  And knows we need to learn other things as well."

She says "Yes" and proceeds to make a hasty exit stage left.  Whereupon I say "You're leaving happy cause you've finally taught me something."  She skipped out the door, happy.

FYI: The Books, Chapters and Verses, in case you are wondering: II Thessalonians 3:10, James 4:8, Ephesians 2:4-5 and Romans 4:4-5.  While I follow our traditional ways, this does not preclude me learning and relying on my childhood education which included going to church.