Excuse me while I gloat a bit. I had a minor, no make that a major victory yesterday in my life. And if you know my lack of abilities to fix things, you may believe in miracles after I tell you. My old printer had finally quit. No matter how much I cursed it, took it apart, and tried to coax it back to life, it quit. So I was forced to get another, and like anything else electric now works better, and costs less. The miracles start here. After I was done setting it up, it printed. Because I actually read the instructions-before I attempted to set it up! And they were all in English-even the pictures! No French, Asian, or Spanish sections-just four pages with big pictures and words in English-a Mike proof set of instructions that even I could follow! And they were from a product made in Viet Nam? Is it possible that we lost the battle, but won the economic war there? That we taught them that reading English, and doing business in English will help you do business? That those mean, old capitalist Americans were only trying to bring them democracy and indoor plumbing? And Harley Davidsons? And they seemed to have learned the lesson via printers, that was their message to me. I may buy another just so I have one when this wears out, or just to see if this one was a fluke-somehow got out without the inspectors knowledge. I even keep printing pages I don't have to, to see if it really works-and it does. All my past history of garage door openers, bike accessories, and cars that wouldn't start after a tune up erased because I took time to read the instructions. Don't tell Theresa, she may want met to fix things, and I'm retired after this, my record intact. 1-0 when it comes to printers made in Viet Nam, with instructions in English, and when followed from the start, before you attempt the task. Never have I felt so proud, and such a sense of accomplishment. Be gone past, Mike is here-let the printing begin!
Why, I wonder, don't I feel this way sometimes about God? He has given me a simple book to read, with a simple plan for life-the gospels, and is patient with me. He even makes me a new creature when I repent, the old being put off, and the new Mike being put on-in Christ. And the answers seem common to others, not just me. For one, godly advice only works if taken. Funny how we can pass it out to others, but not take it ourselves. You need to stay familiar with the product-His love, by praying and staying in the word. Not just a casual, sometimes when I want to, or need to, but a relationship-daily. Just like His mercies and His daily bread. Fresh every morning. Sometimes you need help with the instructions-do you ask your pastor? When going into an area new to you, do you just rush in-then ask for His guidance? Or ask first, so He can guide your steps. He has plans for you, says Jeremiah. Plans for great things, to give a hope and a future. But you must seek Him with all your heart. Even simple things like setting up a printer. Are you into God with all your heart? Why is it that others can tell before you do?
Jesus was a finishing carpenter, an artisan. And it is funny that he talks to us in a carpenters terms. He tells us to get the log out of our own eye, then we can retrieve the splinter from our friends. And lately it seems I have a lot of splinters from log removal. Repenting so we can read -or hear His instructions puts us on the right path. Much like my printer experience. Sometimes life is just following the instructions-living in the spirit and trusting God, and the miracles abound. Today you can choose to be a lumberjack, removing the log from your eye-which is the window to your heart, by the way, or stumble around looking for the instructions, and looking for a shortcut that isn't there. Removing splinters, only they are your own.
My printer works because I followed the directions. Imagine if it can work for a Viet Nam manufactured printer, what it can do for your life. The Bible-Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. Start at Genesis, and end in Revelation. A perfect world to start, and a perfect world to end. With us in between. Oops.
By the way I peeked at the end. The Christians win! If only we had used God's plan in that crazy Asian war. They might be reading instructions for a printer in English too, made in the states. By Americans. Read the book. Stay in the book. Each one of God's words is worth a thousand pictures. Ask me, I'll even print you a page! The Bible-still the all-time best seller-in any language! And you'll love the ending!
love with compassion,
Mike
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