This past week, I have been troubleshooting some issues around the house. We had an oven that quit working in our kitchen a while back, but we had a spare in the basement that did the job, but was inconvenient when using our upstairs kitchen. Anyway while we were deciding whether to fix the oven or get a new one, this solution got us by, but didn’t really solve the problem. So after getting time to do some research and ‘dig into the oven’, I decided to swap out the igniting element to see if that was the issue, and it was. So, the first time I went to cook a frozen pizza after this, I was ½ way down the stairs before I realized I could use the oven in our kitchen, like I was supposed to. Have you ever put off trying to find a solution to a difficult problem, that turned out to be easier, or more complicated than you originally thought?
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
Fixing an oven isn’t rocket science, but fixing a human body often poses more complex issues when we encounter problems. Yesterday, I sat in on a workshop on back pain, which is something most of us experience at some time in our lives. This is something that we hope will go away if we just grin and bear it, and most of the time, it often does. Our bodies are usually remarkable at healing minor things. But sometimes the pain doesn’t go away, or it gets worse over time, and becomes more annoying. We can try to mask the pain with medications and many often seek a quick fix with injections or surgery, but these remedies are not always the best solutions either. Sometimes it takes work to find out the cause of the problem and come up with a solution that works, which isn’t always easy. As we get older, and our bodies don’t bounce back the way it once did, we start to realize we will eventually wear out too.
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. Matthew 24:35
We often go to God for a quick fix for our troubles also, don’t we? Sometimes through prayer or good counsel, others can help us see a solution that we may have been missing on our own, but often there is not a simple solution, and it may take even more work than we would like. Complex problems often take complex solutions to resolve. I sometimes take the worst case scenario outlook, and if it turns out easier, then I’m not often disappointed. So, our often default solutions of ignoring things, running away from people or our problems, and other quick fixes are not always the best things for us. We often learn more of what we need to during difficult times, not during the easy times. So, when we encounter trouble, turn to God and while trying to figure out what we need to do, also ask for what we are to learn in the situation we find ourselves. Often the lesson is more valuable than the solution.
But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31
Yours in Christ,
Clark
