I finally took the patient lift out of my garage. It's been there since we moved here last August. It isn't that I couldn't have used it. I could have -- I could have used it several times a day, every day.
But I didn't want to bother bringing it in. I had gotten into a routine of lifting my son. I mean -- I've done it for over 16 years. Why stop now?
There have been several days I've said to myself, Yeah, I should start using that lift. It is necessary. Sure.
But I make do. I mean I have a routine. And I have great biceps from lifting my son all the time.
But a nagging voice would answer, It's only a matter of time before you hurt yourself. What are you going to do then?
How often do we do this? We get into a routine where we make do. We know we should use that new tool. Or we know we should change the way we do something, but things aren't that broken so we don't change.
Until we absolutely have to change.
I had to change today. I hurt my back when lifting my son. That's why I brought the lift in (I wish I could have said I did it because I finally got smart -- but nope, I didn't). No worries though -- I didn't hurt it badly. It will just be sore for a couple of days.
Sometimes I think we people think life should be easy. God should just give us stuff. God should take all the pain away. God should not let challenges come into our lives -- especially if we are living for Him.
And I think He might wish life was easier for us, but He knows us. We don't change unless we have to (well we might temporarily change but we go right back to our old ways pretty quickly). Our faith doesn't grow until it's necessary in our lives -- until we have nowhere else to turn.
You probably don't need a lift in your house but I know one tool you definitely need (and very likely have it -- well, in fact I know you do since you're reading this). That tool is the Bible (and if you don't have a physical one you can go to Biblegateway.com and read it online for free). Scripture is powerful. It will change you from the inside out if you apply it. If you act on what you read. It does no good just sitting on a shelf or opened prettily on a coffee table. Knowing a few Bible stories isn't knowing the Bible. A lifetime isn't long enough to know the Bible.
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine (says Jesus) and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the wins blew, and burst against the house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock. And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and it fell, and great was its fall."
Matthew 7:24-27