Recently, I realized that as I was praying I was trying to set a schedule for God. As I caught myself, I chided, “That’s not my job. I need to let God do His job.” So what IS God’s job?

God is the Creator. We’ve all heard the story of creation, and how God rested on the 7th day. How many of us think He has continued His work, even to today? Or do we think He’s sitting up in heaven watching the events unfold on Earth? God has never stopped creating, and He is mindful of all of His creations, else we would cease to exist. Each new life receives its divine soul from His hand. If He had stopped working, would He have led the Israelites from Egypt? Would He have sent Jesus to save us?

God is Love. How can love be a job? Because God’s love is beyond what humans think of as love. There have been endless amounts of books, songs, and analyses done on love, yet the definition that gets the closest of what God does when He loves is how St Paul described to the Corinthians:

“Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

1 Cor 13:4-7

God’s love is a relationship with each of His creations. For those who turn away or ignore Him, He is constantly trying to woo them back. For those who pursue a relationship with Him, He slowly draws us closer to Him. A relationship with God takes work, for both parties involved!

God blesses. God listens to us and answers when we pray. While it may not be the answer we want or expect, He does shower blessings upon us. Gifts of life, breath, and love are hardly paltry tokens of affection. Yet how often do we recognize and thank Him for these basic necessities? And for those times when we don’t get what we ask for, how often do we realize at a later date His wisdom in not granting our requests? How often do we thank Him for the little and delightful surprises? Why is it easier to say we are lucky than to give God the credit?

When you think about the millions of people in the world today, it’s quite a bit of responsibility that God has for all of them. And then you add in all those who have come before us, and all those who will come after us, well, I’m glad that God is God and that I’m not! I need to stop trying to do God’s job and focus on my job: loving Him with all my heart, soul, mind, body, and strength, and loving my neighbor as myself.