A couple of months ago I got an interesting fortune in a
fortune cookie. Usually my reaction to
fortunes in fortune cookies falls into two categories: “Oh, that’s cool” or “That’s
a dumb fortune.” However, this
particular fortune really made me think and think much deeper than any fortune
cookie should.
The fortune was: “Trust him, but still keep your eyes open.”
First of all, this really isn’t a fortune. They just don’t make fortunes cookies like
they used to. So many “fortune” cookies
nowadays don’t include a fortune, but rather some vague statement that could be
true about just about anyone or the cookie provides a piece of advice- like
this one.
I can’t say for sure, but my best guess is that the “him” in
this fortune refers to a boyfriend or husband (but this wouldn’t work if
someone who got this fortune had a girlfriend or wife…). I thought that fortune writer might be
telling the fortune receiver to trust her significant other but keep her eyes
open for any behavior that might suggest the boyfriend/husband wasn’t being
faithful.
Since I don’t have a boyfriend or husband, I started
thinking about who the “him” in this fortune could refer to for me. Eventually I decided that the “him” in my
life that I need to trust more is not a “him” but rather a “Him.” God is the one I need to trust. I don’t often worry about little things in
life, but I do worry about the big things like getting a job, being financially
stable, trying to figure out what I’m supposed to do with my life, making the
world a better place, etc.
But what about keeping my eyes open? What should I be keeping my eyes open
for? And why do I have to keep my eyes
open if I’m just supposed to put all my trust in God? I’m not really sure. But I do think that even though God is going
to provide everything I need in life, but all that I need isn’t going to simply
be dropped in my lap. I need to keep my
eyes open and look for the ways that God is working in and through my
life. And then once I discern (or think
I have discerned) how God is working in my life, I need to actively work with
God.
Clearly I did WAY too much thinking about a simple fortune
from a fortune cookie, but that’s just the way I role.
