Good Works

Ok, I realize it is feast or famine with the posts. I am new to blogging, and horrible with time management (I will blame it on having 3 kids, but really I have always been bad at it).
So, before I tell you the next enlightening moment, let me give you a little background to that week. My husband is studying to be a pastor (I realize that Amy you already know this, and are probably the only one who will ever read this blog, but just in case, I will pretend that others will read it, and write as if the blog will become wildly popular :-))
Anyways, he was writing a paper on Ephesians 2:8-10 which says "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
His paper disected the original language, and looked at a lot of books and papers written by scholars...I can understand why they disect this verse. There is a lot of good stuff in there. Justification by grace alone is the biggest. But, without jumping on his soap box, to go back to the lessons kids teach me... read on...
I was at the zoo with the kids when it hit me. Our good works are like pushing the button. If you have ever taken a toddler to the zoo, or watched little kids at the zoo, you will know what I am talking about. They love to push the button that opens the door. Toddlers love to help. And, honestly, I love that with the push of a button a door opens so I can get the three kids and myself through the door in one shot. But, it would be so much more efficient for me to push the button. The kids love it, and it is a way for them to feel proud and like they helped. So I line the stroller up just right, and wait until they push the button just right to open the door. God doesn't really need us to do His work. He lets us. He puts us in positions where we can do his work to show our love for him. We don't have to do it. We have a free will and can choose not to push the button. And if we aren't faithful (don't push the button), God will still get done what needs to get done (He can open the door without us pushing the button). But he puts us in those positions so we can show our love by "helping". And I imagine that like a parent, he is happy and proud of us when we do push the button for him :-)