Read: Psalm 119:35-37, John 15:5 & Ephesians 4:22-24
This morning I tossed a medium-size kitchen rug into the washer, and I fully expected my Maytag Dependable Care, Quiet Plus, Heavy Duty, 3 Speed Select, Super Capacity, 14 Cycle machine to let that rug have it. A short time later, I discovered the washer turned cattywampus and about four feet out of place—in the middle of the room. By all appearances, roles had been reversed and the rug had done a number on the machine.
Does your life ever seem like that? You should be running it, but somehow it’s running you. That’s been my experience lately. As I sat in a moment of solitude and treasured the silence, I contemplated the issues zapping my effectiveness: the need for other people’s approval, frustration with myself over poor choices and the mountain of “To Dos” swarming in my head.
A verse I encountered twice in the past two days gently broke the surface of my stillness. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
In that moment, I got it. Apart from Him, I can do nothing. I cannot do everything and be everything I think I want to be. But, I can be and do everything He wants me to. And, I can know that He will perfectly equip me for His purposes.
Unfortunately, I tend to allow my own expectations and desires to leave me cattywampus every now and then. In those moments, I have to readjust the load just like I had to do today with my washer.
