Colossians 1:9-12
Be assured that from the first day we heard of you, we haven’t stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to his will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works. We pray that you’ll live well for the Master, making him proud of you as you work hard in his orchard. As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. We pray that you’ll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Over the weekend, my husband helped me recover my piano bench. The fabric I had stapled to the lid over 15 years ago had worn bare around the edges, and it was time for a makeover! My husband used his drill to remove the padded board that fit inside a wooden frame on the lid. I used a staple gun to attach the new fabric. When we got ready to re-insert the board, it would not fit. I had stapled the new fabric atop the old… which was attached over an original layer… and the three thicknesses were simply too much. The screws would not “grab” in the wood. Moreover, I had used a staple that we thought was the right size… but once everything was in place, the staples stuck through the wood. “Those will snag your clothes, little legs, and cause all sorts of problems,” my husband lamented.
They make this type of project look so easy on HGTV! There was nothing to do but take everything apart… pull out ALL of the staples and remove the new fabric and the second layer. We decided the first layer was holding the padding in place, so it should stay. A couple of hours later, we had everything back together again – this time with upholsterer’s tacks and duct tape! – and the bench looked great!
There was a time when this setback would have sent me into orbit. I would have sputtered, spewed and grumbled. I would have gritted my teeth and griped as I pulled out each staple. But this time, I just looked at the bench, took a deep breath, stuck with the project… and soon all was back in order. And there is a pattern here! I still get mad at myself when I break a dish or spill something… and I still get frustrated and impatient when things don’t work out just as I had hoped or happen as quickly as I would like. But I’m learning to operate in the glory-strength of God instead of my own grim strength.
Lately, I’ve been taking a few minutes fairly often to make a list (if only mentally) of all of the things God has done for me… all of the prayers He has answered in my life in just the last short while… all of the things He has worked out and the positive outcomes that are all around me. When I stop and examine them, I realize that He is at work… and I am learning how to do His work – on His terms. There are still plenty of things that I wish that God would fix! There are still areas that I need to work on – and situations in which I wish He was working a little faster. But that’s on me… because He is doing exactly what is necessary and needed. I am the one who still has real work that needs to be done.
The more we learn to operate in patience and the glory-strength of God, the more bearable and joyful our lives become. We are calmer, more confident, and certainly much more effective for His Kingdom. So what is your “broken glass” or project gone awry today? How will you handle it? Will you call on God to grant you the necessary patience, endurance and strength to handle things with dignity and calm? Or will you grit your teeth, grumble and fumble? The choice is totally yours… how will you decide?
©2013 Debbie Robus
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