TWILY Ministries |
Love Notes | March 2010
A New Perspective on
the HOLE Problem
THREE YEARS ago, our office suite underwent a
makeover, and when the contractors removed a slim rod, that had been in the middle of the floor, they didn’t
bother PLUGGING
the HOLE where it had resided; they simply installed the carpet right on top of it. I guess they had reasoned: “No biggie. It’s
only a QUARTER-sized HOLE.
No one will even know it’s here, unless in the unlikely event someone steps in it!”
Well, guess who “STEPS
IN IT” and has
been “stepping
in it” for at
least THREE YEARS?” ME!
I
suppose, then, I should be long past asking:
“Why did they leave this silly HOLE in the floor?”
Yet, there I was, once again, pondering the same
question. Only this time, I got a
new
perspective on the HOLE problem:
The HOLE was not the
problem; my STEPS were! They hadn’t
changed in THREE YEARS, and
they constantly led me to the same place - the HOLE!
I’ll resist quoting Albert Einstein here,
but CLEARLY, there seems to be a parallel to
life here, doesn’t it?
Many people, set goals, “hoping”
to improve certain aspects of their lives - spiritually and otherwise. Yet,
year-after-year, they find themselves in the very same place, and why? Well,
there are many reasons, but OFTEN,
it’s because they never change their “steps”; they keep stepping in the same “holes.”
If we're honest, many of us have stepped into a few of
our own, and perhaps, even now, that may be the case.
Right now, for instance, some of us say we want to...
·
have a closer walk with the
Lord, but we keep prayer, study & worship on the backburner!
·
end an argument with someone, but we continue to yell when we’re talking to them!
·
get physically fit, but we never
get around to exercising.
·
stop
having to RUSH in the morning, but we keep
snoozing the alarm when it’s time to rise!
·
flourish in A relationship, but we
never fully open
our heart to the other person.
·
make a
new friend, but we never
smile or show ourselves friendly.
·
fit
into a favorite dress for an event – no comment -
but
we order a “No.4 with
cheese”.
See, what I mean? I know a couple of these are on the humorous side, but they serve to
show the variety of “holes” that
we VOLUNTARILY step into, but seriously, there is nothing funny
about us failing to do our part.
That
reminds me of a young man, who was hoping
to land a better job.
He had interviewed for several
different positions, within the company, and
always came across very well. For some reason, though,
someone else would always get the job. Later, after several other interviews, he
found out what his “hang-up” was
all about; one popular software
package. The person needed to KNOW the software package from day one! – He didn’t, while the other
candidates did.
Hoping to be considered
for any future positions, he told
everyone that he was going to sit at his
computer and learn the software
package. Unfortunately, he didn’t; he kept sitting at his computer playing video
games. Same “hole”…same result.
SADLY, when he didn’t
get the job, he told people it was a case of “racism.” – Hmmm...what race is “I don't know Microsoft Word?”
The truth is he didn’t do his part; though he talked about preparing
for the job, he never followed through. The Bible says,
In all labor there is profit, but mere talk
leads only to poverty. - Proverbs 14:23. It’s
not enough to merely recognize the “holes”,
we have to be “determined” to stay
out of them. For a good example,
take “Ree”
– we’ll call her.
She
came up to me the other day – totally geeked
– and said:
“J, I keep telling myself…watch that hole…watch that hole!
I refuse to step in it this time around!”
Speaking of humor, she was funny; but I knew exactly what she was referring to.
To
protect the innocent, let’s just say that, NORMALLY
when she and her husband have a disagreement, she RESPONDS in such a way that only
FUELS THE FIRE! Not this time, though. See, earlier
in the week, we had been talking about this month’s
topic and apparently, she had been applying it to her situation. It
worked out well, she told me the next day. In short, God’s word had gone into
effect, which says: “A soft
answer turns away wrath, but
a harsh word stirs up anger.”
– Proverbs 15:1.
Friends,
like “Ree”,
we have to both recognize and refuse to step
into the “holes, that are doing nothing but
causing us to stay put, that is in the same o’ place!, far away from our goals!
GRANTED,
that’s not always easy and it will take patience – but, then again, anything worth having does; don’t you agree? I hope so, and as I close, I also hope you have
received something useful from my new perspective on
the HOLE problem.
In
summary, there
are things beyond our control that can keep us from reaching our
goals in life. However, often, our progress is hindered
simply because we continue to step in the same “holes”; failing
to do our part in the process; but there is
hope! Whether “our part” requires something tangible,
like learning
a new skill or something soft, like learning
how to open our hearts, the
Lord is able to navigate us around the “holes”
– seen and unseen – that keep us from following through. So let’s
keep in step with the Spirit, thereby finding the power we need to leap
right over them all!
Until next time, thank you for your time, your prayers and your feedback.
Stay encouraged.
Love in Christ,
Joyce
© Joyce Bailey March 2010