Pressure Issues
I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. – Galatians 2:21
It happened all too often. Whenever I turned my computer on, it would go through its usual routine at first, but then
I would hear an electronic imitation of a “bong” and an error message would appear—my keyboard had performed an “illegal maneuver.” When that
happened, the screen and keyboard would freeze and no amount of coaxing or manipulation of mouse or keyboard could change it. It was useless. The only
fix was to unplug it from the wall and start all over—sometimes two or three times!
I tried checking the wire that connected the keyboard to the computer, pushing it snugly into the socket. Sometimes the computer would boot up correctly—sometimes,
but not always. Even the “experts” could not tell me what was wrong. One suggested that I completely reprogram the computer. Another thought that I
should just scrap it and buy a new one.
Then one day, I realized that surrounding wires were putting pressure on the keyboard connection. When I rearranged the wires, the pressure was gone, allowing
the computer to boot up correctly—every time!
This experience made me think: Do I ever allow things to pressure me so that the Lord cannot use me as He would like? Perhaps I let my schedule become
too full with activities that are not really necessary, and the mounting stress makes me unusable to the Lord. Or do my own ideas of how things should
be done ever short-circuit God’s ability to have His will in my life? I want to make sure my life is an open channel that the Lord can flow through
to accomplish His purpose.
If anything in our lives is interfering with the fulfillment of God’s divine will for us, we need to start rearranging those areas until He can work freely
through us again. He will help us to do that if we will seek Him in prayer and listen for His leading. It is a wonderful feeling to know that our lives
are arranged properly and He can use us any time!