I am an oxymoron – a quick procrastinator. You see, I can be great at organizing to get a job done, but truth be told I am equally proficient at intentional delay. Add to that a liberal dose of worry and you have a controller that can fixate on issues which never materialize (or at least not the size or volume I always imagine). Case in point my bathtub drain. This is an original fixture, 39 years and counting. The drain actually worked fine. The problem was the handle mechanism, which did not remain pushed down in order to release the water.
You’re thinking hey it’s no big deal. Just fix it Doneta – right? Finding myself these days handling maintenance issues alone I thought – I can do this. I’ll handle this somehow. So for months jiggling around with the lever solved the problem, until it just didn’t work. So my moto “I’ll just get by” wasn’t working either; time to call a maintenance person. Here’s where that worry factor emerges. Visions of a simple solution evolved to images of removing ceramic tiles, cutting through drywall. How long will this take? How much mess will it involve? Yikes what do plumbers charge anyway?
I make a call to Denny, my plumber. Over my lunch hour I meet him at my house to assess the problem. One quick check he looks and smiles. “I’ve got you covered. No problem. Easy fix.” Do you hear the sigh of relief? A new plate and lever installed, which takes less than 10 minutes and asking if I have any other issues. No I don’t thanks much. Invoice completed. Check written. He shakes my hand and reassures me; “Any other problems – I’m a phone call away Doneta.”
Less than a half hour of time; less than a hundred dollars (not even a service call charge bless his heart) and certainly less of an issue than I imagined – Aggghhh – why do I do this? Most people would not blink an eye and take household maintenance in stride. I am learning, albeit slowly. A single homeowner I have dealt with (see past blogs) broken water pipes, gutted kitchens, hailstorms, new roofs, replaced appliances, so why do I needlessly fret about something so small? Is it because I imagine the worst secretly hoping for the best? Perhaps. Am I learning to ask God first? Yes, but really do I bother him with something like a 39 year old bathtub? Get a grip Doneta. Sometimes you just need to handle things yourself, but is that really what God has taught me?
His message is not just “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened…” Matt 11:28. I do come to Him. His word reassures, “He will call upon me, and I will answer him.” Ps 91:15. I know firsthand about His response. So what’s the issue? Well, I love how my Lord drops bricks on my head to get my attention – specifically when I read my devotions. Take the account that Matthew pens in Matt 15:30. Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. Wow did you catch that? Challenges presented and Jesus took care of all of it!
So I’m thinking Lord, I do that. I bring it to you (I realize bathtub drains are not to be considered in the same breath as what these people faced). The key point is not that the issues were brought to Jesus. The words that spoke to my heart were “laid them at his feet”. There’s my problem. What I really love is the same text in The Message: They came, tons of them, bringing along the paraplegic, the blind, the maimed, the mute—all sorts of people in need—and more or less threw them down at Jesus’ feet to see what he would do with them. He healed them.
You see, there it is. I may think I’m bringing my problems, big or small to my Lord, but I’m not leaving it all at His feet. I am not waiting to see what He’s going to do. I just present it and then I take it all back. These people were different. These people were at the end of their resources. They were honest about what they could and could not do. They came to the one who was their last hope. And what did Jesus do? Exactly what He always wants to do; He heals. He handles it. It’s what He does best. We just have to get out of the way.
Lesson learned – no matter the circumstance. He wants it all. He wants us to lose our grip, our feeble attempt at control and just leave it at His feet. I imagine God’s face smiling at me with the same words I heard from Denny, “I’ve got you covered. No problem. Easy fix.” This time a huge, huge sigh with tears and a confession – Forgive me for getting in the way, for not loving you and trusting that you – you have it all covered with your power, your love, your grace. Amen
Blessings as you release your burdens drop them at your Savior’s feet. Be prepared for miracles!
Doneta
Beautiful Savior, Beautiful Women 