man vs. machine
I have a story to tell you about a dollar bill.
I had $11 in cash on Wednesday night. I was hungry but knew I needed $10 of that for gas to get me back and forth to work, so as I walked out of the building at lunchtime, I decided to stop in the break room and buy something from the vending machine.
It's been hot in the hangar and in the house, too. It's ninety degrees in the house at two a.m. I've been sweating a lot, so I wanted a salty snack. I chose a bag of potato chips, put my money in the machine and pushed the button.
The spiral mechanism in the vending machine promptly screwed the bag of chips into the shelf above and didn't dispense them correctly. No big deal. A gentle shake and I'm eatin' chips. But, alas, the gentle shake didn't dislodge them. Nor did round two, where I gave the machine a harder shake.
I have a lot of pressures in my life. And last night, I found out just how close I am to popping that safety valve. I didn't even realize it until I wanted to take it out on the vending machine. One of the guys I work with was watching this whole ordeal and I think I surprised him when I just walked away.
"Shake it harder," he said.
"Nope, " I replied, "just better if I let it go. I guess I just got to buy someone a bag of chips." and walked out of the break room. On my way to the car, I was reminded that we're to give thanks in all circumstances so I kind of half-heartedly thanked the Lord for letting me buy someone a bag of chips.
I know that sounds like a stretch and I know it makes me sound a little looney, but really, if you read your Bible, you'll find that you really are supposed to give thanks in all circumstances. It made me feel a little better, maybe a little less hungry, and I just took a little nap in the car at lunch and tried to understand the crazy that is my life.
On the way home, the announcer on the radio reminded me of Proverbs 3:5-6. I'm not supposed to understand it. I'm just supposed to follow. And I do, but boy, sometimes that really hurts. Human Dale wants to change these circumstances so badly, but the part of me that trusts in the Lord and not my own understanding remembers that something bigger than me is at play. I know that and here's how:
I received a dollar bill in the mail today.
It was part of an advertising campaign from some guy I don't know in St. George to get me to refinance my house. I can't, even if I wanted to.
So I gave thanks in my circumstances. And God is so good. He replaced the dollar.
But He did so much more than that, He gave me a great story to tell about how we can't understand what He does. While you might find it a stretch to say that getting a dollar in the mail was a blessing, I think it's anything but. Because if it's coincidence, I really, really need to go buy that lottery ticket this weekend.
So tonight, with the multitude of things I'm grateful for, add just a simple dollar to the list.
God really is GOOD!
I had $11 in cash on Wednesday night. I was hungry but knew I needed $10 of that for gas to get me back and forth to work, so as I walked out of the building at lunchtime, I decided to stop in the break room and buy something from the vending machine.
It's been hot in the hangar and in the house, too. It's ninety degrees in the house at two a.m. I've been sweating a lot, so I wanted a salty snack. I chose a bag of potato chips, put my money in the machine and pushed the button.
The spiral mechanism in the vending machine promptly screwed the bag of chips into the shelf above and didn't dispense them correctly. No big deal. A gentle shake and I'm eatin' chips. But, alas, the gentle shake didn't dislodge them. Nor did round two, where I gave the machine a harder shake.
I have a lot of pressures in my life. And last night, I found out just how close I am to popping that safety valve. I didn't even realize it until I wanted to take it out on the vending machine. One of the guys I work with was watching this whole ordeal and I think I surprised him when I just walked away.
"Shake it harder," he said.
"Nope, " I replied, "just better if I let it go. I guess I just got to buy someone a bag of chips." and walked out of the break room. On my way to the car, I was reminded that we're to give thanks in all circumstances so I kind of half-heartedly thanked the Lord for letting me buy someone a bag of chips.
I know that sounds like a stretch and I know it makes me sound a little looney, but really, if you read your Bible, you'll find that you really are supposed to give thanks in all circumstances. It made me feel a little better, maybe a little less hungry, and I just took a little nap in the car at lunch and tried to understand the crazy that is my life.
On the way home, the announcer on the radio reminded me of Proverbs 3:5-6. I'm not supposed to understand it. I'm just supposed to follow. And I do, but boy, sometimes that really hurts. Human Dale wants to change these circumstances so badly, but the part of me that trusts in the Lord and not my own understanding remembers that something bigger than me is at play. I know that and here's how:
I received a dollar bill in the mail today.
It was part of an advertising campaign from some guy I don't know in St. George to get me to refinance my house. I can't, even if I wanted to.
So I gave thanks in my circumstances. And God is so good. He replaced the dollar.
But He did so much more than that, He gave me a great story to tell about how we can't understand what He does. While you might find it a stretch to say that getting a dollar in the mail was a blessing, I think it's anything but. Because if it's coincidence, I really, really need to go buy that lottery ticket this weekend.
So tonight, with the multitude of things I'm grateful for, add just a simple dollar to the list.
God really is GOOD!
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