The Claw!

This morning I woke up and all I could think about was "the Claw" scene from Toy Story.  Remember?  Woody and Buzz find themselves trapped in a claw-game vending machine, surrounded by zealous little alien squeaky toys, only to be captured by Sid, Andy's nefarious and sadistic next-door neighbor.  As I thought about this scene, it made me chuckle how life is sometimes like this.  We find ourselves stuck somewhere, we don't know how we got there, and our next move is just as uncertain.  I also thought about the words of one of the aliens: "The Claw is our master.  It decides who will go and who will stay!" 



"Farewell my friends! I go on to a better place..."



Thankfully our Master is not an arbitrary, unfeeling metal claw, manipulated by greedy children; He is the Good Shepherd who lovingly invites us to follow Him and return home to our Father in Heaven.  But He knows better than we do.  He can see things from a top-down perspective, where sometimes all we might see are the obstacles in our way.  God and Jesus know all things, but they do not determine our choices.  We still have the ability to choose the path in front of us, but sometimes They nudge us along or warn us or direct us another way. 

So unlike The Claw, God does not force us one way or the other, but similarly He puts us where we need to be.  Then it's up to us to decide whether or not we will cheerfully follow His path or choose another.  Woody and Buzz made the best out of their imprisonment in Sid's house until they could finally make a break for it and return back to the loving arms of their beloved Andy.  We too don't always get to choose our circumstances, but we certainly can choose our reactions.

Food for thought.

Much Love,

Elder Spendlove

Image from http://porcelainexistence.tumblr.com/post/5655772108