I once decided to beat the odds by turning all my t-shirts, socks and underwear inside out before washing and drying them. My hypothesis was that by doing so when I removed them from the dryer they would all be right side out. Not a bad hypothesis. Murphy follows me around and the odds were good for a positive outcome. Didn't happen. So I continue to wonder why when I wash them without the added exercise of futility they are removed inside out? I'm sure there are some intellectual and scientific people out there who can tell me the why's of this phenomena. It really doesn't matter though. The washer and dryer will continue to do as they want to my laundry. Regardless of what they do, I still will have clean and available laundry to continue my day. Faith is like that as well. We have faith in what we cannot see, do not hear and are unable to fathom. Faith is an anomaly and needs to be understood as just that. We have faith that God will work and yet, we don't know when or how. We have faith that God will take care of our problems and yet, we don't know when or how. To those who don't exercise faith; there is little hope of a change in circumstances in their lives.
There are times I try the patience of God and man. For instance, and maybe you do this as well, I sometimes am driving along and don't want to pay that price for gas so I continue on until I find a station that will be affordable. I find myself praying that God will help me make it to a gas station when I've just passed by three of them! Just as God is in the earthquake and the wind storm, he's in the small still voice saying, "Steve, wake up! You just passed 3 gas stations!" He adds, "Besides you are speeding and why should I honor your request when you are breaking the law?" See what I mean? Trying the patience of God with promises and answers to our prayers by ignoring them causes real problems in our lives and sometimes the lives of others. I carry a AAA card for when I run out of gas. My car's gas tank has limits...28 gallons to be exact. My patience has limits...0-3 seconds to be exact. My body has limits, I'm 63 and can't do what I did when I was 23. Even my washing machine has limits. It cannot wash my clothes and NOT get them clean. Sometimes we need to accept that we are in the spot we are in because of our choices and not the divine hand of God. We then try out own patience.
God has made our lives to be simple. Love him and love others. That's it. Nothing complex in those two commands. They are in the order that I have listed for a reason. IF we love God with all of our heart, soul and mind, then we will by that very act love others. Not on our terms but on His terms. Often we think we know what to think, say and do. We aren't God and shouldn't take that route. We are sinners who like the washing machine have taken what is right and turned it around into what is wrong. We turn our lives and the lives of others inside out because of our propensity to act like we are God. Then we wonder why we pass by three gas stations in order to get the cheapest gas at the risk of running out of gas. You see, the frustrations of our lives and that which we inflict on others is all because we violate that first command. We don't love God with ALL of our heart, soul and mind. If we did, then the washing machine, the gas problem and loving others would automatically be taken care of. But it's a choice that we encounter every day and will encounter every day until we die to self and have Christ living through us. When we have His heart, His mind, and His soul, then the peace of God that passes understanding will be there.
But, it's always your choice. Why choose less than the best?
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