A few years ago I was in my house, hungry, and looking for something to eat. I scanned my refrigerator to see if there was any food. I was delighted to spot a leftover. Suddenly I understood the wisdom of why Jesus said “gather up the fragments” (John 6:12).
I grabbed the food and placed it in my microwave. I turned the knob on the appliance to set the timer, and I hit “start.” Nothing happened. I tried again, but the microwave did not budge. I was upset. I was hungry, and the microwave chose the wrong time to call it quits. Frustrated, I left home to eat out.
The next day I drove to Wal-Mart to buy a new microwave. After I bought my new microwave, I brought it home and placed the box in which it was packaged, on the floor. I decided to disconnect the old microwave before I opened the box containing the new microwave. I reached toward the back of my old microwave to disconnect its power cable from the socket into which it was plugged. All of a sudden my microwave woke up. I was startled.
Apparently the reason why my old microwave did not work was because the cable was in an awkward position. All I had to do was wiggle its power cable and it would have worked. A little adjustment to the position of its cord would have caused it to function properly. This experience helped me realize that the solution to my microwave problem was also applicable to a few of life’s problems.
Sometimes we give up on relationships and things too quickly. Before we let go of people, jobs, or opportunities, especially those that have been faithful to us, we might need to make just a little adjustment to keep them. We don’t want to pay unnecessary prices and go through the inconvenience of getting something — or someone new, before we realize that it was for naught.
Paul wrote that we should be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another just as God through Christ forgave us (Eph 4:32). James also wrote that we should be slow to speak, slow to be angry, and quick to listen (James 1:19). In the heat of the moment we can make poor decisions that will cost us time, energy, and resources only for us to regretfully find out that our reactions were unnecessary.
Try as we might, there will be times that we’ll not be able to live in peace with people. Paul had this in mind when he admonished us to as much as possible live in peace with all (Rom 12:18). Aside from such exceptions it’s in our best interest to make little adjustments to maintain good people and opportunities in our lives. Let’s be slow to give up on them and quick to adjust to them — whenever possible.
The adjustment might be changing your perspective, your approach, or your position on a person or problem. Don’t give up too soon on a relationship just because, all of a sudden, it’s not functioning to your liking. Just a little adjustment to the situation, in your part, might do the trick. Perhaps wiggling the cable of understanding will help you resolve the issue.
Naturally, when we don’t see things clearly, or when objects are off focus on our sights, we obtain glasses, contacts, or undergo Lasik surgery to correct our vision. The focal lenses or optical surgery make little adjustments in our eyes to enable us see things the way they ought to be seen. God’s Word is a lamp to our feet and light for our paths (Ps 119:105). His Word is the lens from which we see things from God’s perspective. Scripture enables us to make the little adjustments necessary for us to stay on God’s best path for our lives. This is because scripture is designed to script your life.
