http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James%205:11&version=NIV1984http:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%2013:6-7&version=NIV1984
Yesterday, on my day off, I had a short To-Do list of about 10 things I wanted to accomplish for the day. I always have a To-Do list. It helps me get things done. One of the items of the list was ‘change lightbulb’. We have a floor lamp right next to where Beth sits on our Love Seat in the living room. It’s a 3-way lamp and 2 of the 3 wattages were out. So I decided to change the bulb. Simple, yes? Maybe in your world. Not in mine.
For the past couple months the switch on the lamp has been malfunctioning. As I mentioned, it’s a 3-way switch and when you get to the 2nd position the light flickers and doesn’t work. After changing the light bulb the switch still wasn’t functioning properly. I get a little nervous when electrical things don’t work properly. So I decided to take a look at what I could do about replacing the switch. Now mind you, I’m no electrician. But I can usually take something apart and figure out what’s wrong. I’ve changed one or two switches before so it shouldn’t be all that hard. Famous last words.
I take the shade and the holder off and get to the switch but they wired it so tightly at the factory that there is no room to pull the switch out to work on it. Now I don't need a lot of room here. I need 1". Maybe 2" max. After quite the struggle I managed to pull the switch right out. Unfortunately it was a factory type switch where the wires went straight into the bottom. Going to 2 hardware stores all I could find were switches that needed to be wired from the side. This meant that I needed to make wire a little longer since it now had to come up the side and go around an attaching screw. For about a half an hour I tugged on the wire trying to get the extra length I needed. It wasn’t working. So I decided to go to plan B.
Plan B was to remove the existing wire (about 12" long) and replace it with a longer one. Unfortunately the wire went through a couple of bends inside the arm of the lamp. Carefully I removed the wire making sure that I attached a string to it. This way I could hook the new wire to the string and pull it through. Unfortunately, the string broke as I was trying to get the new wire through. Now what? To make a long story short, I worked for the next hour and a half just getting that wire fished through the lamp arm and out the other side. Finally I got it all back together. Switch installed. Screwed in the light bulb. And turned it on. It worked! The satisfaction that I felt at that moment was immeasurable. It had taken me 4 long hours. And a lot of aggravation. But I had triumphed! The lamp was working. We wouldn’t have to get rid of it. Unfortunately the repair wasn’t perfect. Because I discovered that the switch I installed was a 1-way switch. And not a 3-way. But that’s OK. It doesn’t in any way diminish my victory.
Why am I telling you this? Because it is so representative of life. I find that God often brings us to situations that are difficult. Trying. Demanding. He does this for a purpose. So that we can learn. Grow. Deepen our faith. And trust in Him. I admit that at one point during the lamp repair I was so frustrated that I wanted to take a hammer and just smash that lamp arm to smithereens. It wouldn’t have fixed the lamp. But it would have felt good. Real good. In the same way, often in middle of difficult situations we become frustrated. It's at this point that we are tempted to take things into our own hands. Force the situation. Overreact. Give the other person a piece of our mind. In effect, take a hammer to it. Unfortunately, while this approach may make us feel good in the short term (letting us vent) it makes the situation worse. Maybe even irreparable.
At times such as this we need to trust God. There is a solution to this situation even though we can’t see it at the moment. And He knows what that solution is. If we continue to work at it, if we continue to pray, if we are patient, guess what? God will help us work the situation work out. And when He does, we will feel good. Very good. Our faith will have deepened and grown. And God will get the glory.
Lord, in the midst of the frustrating portions of my life help me to remember that You are there. There is a solution to my problem. And that solution is found in You. Help me not to be overcome with frustration, anger or worry. But to seek Your face. To put my trust in You. To be patient. And perseverant. Until the answer finally comes. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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