That was my thought when I pulled up to the gas pump.
I’ve pumped gas so many times that it’s like second nature. The only problem
was that I was in a loaner car because mine was in the shop all week. What side
is the gas tank even on? How the heck do you get this thing open? What kind of
gas does it even need??? My normal routine is that I lock the car when I get out
to pump gas because I don’t want anyone snatching my purse or attempting whatever crisis my mind dreamed up that day. So, I proceed to the gas tank on the other
side and the little hinged door WILL NOT open. I tried pushing, pulling, prying
and yanking. Nope. Maybe there’s a button! I unlock the car and go back to the
driver’s seat…nothing. After 5-10 minutes enduring nearby awkward stares amidst
my searching, wandering and pleading, I conclude that, apparently, I DON’T got
this. I began to get frustrated until I realized the answer was simple. Just
Google it! LOL! To my surprise, the driver’s side door must be unlocked for the
gas tank door to spring open with ease at the gentle tap of a finger. However,
all of this frustration, embarrassment and wasted time could have been
prevented if I had just read the manual first, but again…I got this.
Sadly, I’ve encountered this same mindset on many occasions
in my spiritual walk. Oh, I’ve been through this situation before; I can handle
it…until the monkey wrench gets thrown in…and it always does. I fret and stress
until I realize I should have read the manual first. But I’m learning and
that’s ok. Psalm 143:10 says, “TEACH me to do your will for you are my God; may
your good Spirit LEAD me on level ground.” Thank God there’s grace and that He
has the patience to teach me and to lead me! Just like we do with our kids, we
often require reinforcement and repetition from our heavenly Father as well.
I love the story of Joshua. He gets thrown into
leadership after Moses dies and God tells him to gather all these people and
not be afraid because He’ll direct Joshua to the land He promised. The key
point here is that in order to lead and be lead, Joshua had to remain teachable
and obedient. We know this because Joshua 1:8 says, “Keep this Book of the Law
always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful
to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”
God needed him to read the manual...first. He was teaching Joshua some
important principles that he would need in order to be a successful and
effective leader as they set out to possess the land.
In the same way, we must prepare in our daily lives, too,
whether it’s leading employees, an army, a family, a congregation or just
disciplining our own flesh! Since physically meditating on His Word all day is
probably not conducive to most of our schedules, we can still drop a quick
nugget for our spirit to chew on in the meantime. When my children were little,
I used to get so condemned if I didn’t get my long devo time in like I was used
to having in Bible college. Not convicted, condemned. Finally, I realized there
was grace for the season when showers were a luxury and sleep was imagined, and
if I only got 5 minutes or one verse in a day, that was ok. It took me a while
to notice that God could still use those little moments of each day to teach me
and lead me, but it was so freeing once I did.
No comments:
Post a Comment