The Adjustment Bureau

I was watching a movie the other night called The Adjustment Bureau. I had already seen the previews, so I knew a little bit about the theme of the movie. It is about a man who is running and leading for senate but something in his past surfaces (which could keep him from winning) and he his numbers begin to plummet. Then he meets a lady and instantly they fall in love, but he doesn't get her name or number. However, he runs into her again on a bus and this time he gets her number. This is where the adjustment bureau comes in to change his fate or destiny because he can't be with this woman. He is supposed to eventually run for president; and she is eventually going to be a world renowned ballet dancer. But if the two of them stay together, they will crush each other's dream...because basically they will want to spend all their time together and not pursue their goals with as much effort as they did before. Sound familiar?

Well all of this made me think about the adjustments in our own lives. How sometimes we take a detour instead of going the same way home from work and we avoid an accident. Or we are running late for work and we avoid traffic. Or we decide to go to this particular gathering and we meet our husband or wife. Or we choose this store to shop in and we meet our new best friend. Chance occurrences, surprise meetings, fate, destiny...or God?

When we're really in tune with the Holy Spirit (our adjustment bureau), He will guide our footsteps and tell us when to go left, when to go right, when to keep straight, when to stop. He will keep us from that big accident, that traffic jam, from the wrong husband or wife. The Holy Spirit will help us become who we are destined to be: senator, president, cashier, store clerk, student, counselor, teacher, fireman, postal worker, coach, professional ball player, etc. In the movie, the adjustment bureau's job was to keep David and Elise away from each other and to get David's life back on track to be president; but they weren't able to control David. But that's not the case with our God. God is always in control...however, sometimes He allows us to do what we want...like the children of Israel from this week's Sunday school lesson. (They were disobedient when God told them to kill all of the Canaanites, but they didn't and they began to worship the gods of Canaan (Baal and Ashtaroth)and upset God so much that the hand of God was upon them for evil. Read the story in Judges 2 when you get a chance). But sometimes God allows us to do what we want and then when we get into trouble, we tend to call on Him. But again when everything is fine, we seem to forget Him.

This movie made me think about our relationship with God and how important it is to have one. I can't begin to tell you how many mistakes I made because I didn't listen to the Holy Spirit. I know that He has always talked to me and you have heard Him too, but thought that you should have followed your first mind (that was the Holy Spirit) but if you are not in tune with Him, His voice is real faint and you can barely hear Him. It's that inner voice that tells us when we're doing wrong...when we're going the wrong way...when we need to go this way or that way...when we need to help someone...when we need to speak to someone...when we need to listen to someone...when we need to be obedient. How many times have you had a conversation with a stranger and afterwards, you thought "Wow, I needed that!" Jesus promised us a comforter and that comforter is the Holy Spirit (John 14:26) And because of our disobedience; we are sometimes put into situations where we're unhappy and calling on God about our situation. But God wants you to check with Him before you make decisions that will cause you grief. Most of the time, we don't have to check with Him...if we just read our manual (the Bible) then we will know what to do in many situations because He has already told us and He has given us examples of people who were in the same situation and how they conquered or failed and their consequences. God has given us everything we need to survive in this world, but many of us don't take the time to read the manual (in fact I wrote a blog about reading the manual - that we read a manual for our car, for putting together a bookshelf, for fixing a leak, etc. but we won't read our manual to know what we are to do).

Okay, back to the movie- how many people have you met over the years and later you thought...that was supposed to be husband or my wife but you let them get away and now it's too late? Or maybe you were like the characters in the movie - they decided no matter what; they were going to be together and they took that chance? We don't have the luxury to see into the future like this couple; but we do have a God that can give us the wisdom to know who is right and wrong for us. We don't need the "adjustment bureau"; we have our own: God; Jesus; the Holy Spirit. Do you need an adjustment? Have you talked to your adjustment bureau lately? Have you read the manual lately? Do you need an adjustment?