Wednesday, July 19, 2017

                I hate it when things quit working. (Except for me – I am still enjoying not working!) But I am meaning specifically household apparatuses, appliances, amenities, and, in general, those things that periodically break down, quit functioning and stop operating like they should.

                Lately, over the last few weeks, we have run in to a spate of various types of mechanical failures. We have had a plumber in to fix a broken toilet, the cable guy to fix a broken wire, a number of power outages,  a repairman to replace the smart-board for the furnace and AC and now the car needs a new AC condenser.  They are digging underground wires in our area and it has wreaked havoc on our internet, TV cable and telephone. I think we have COGEGO on speed-dial.

                Now Susan will tell you that I remain calm, patient, even-tempered, unflappable, and unflustered under these trying circumstances - NOT! Sad to say, I become irritable, impatient, whiny, grouchy and ready to blow a gasket or two of my own.   Like my mother I want something fixed yesterday, not in three days time and somewhere between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. I can get cross with the repairmen, especially if they start making excuses for why it taking so long to fix, which is why Susan, generally, deals with them. She is lot nicer than I am.

I try really, really hard to wait it out, not get uptight, understand that it’s nobody’s fault, be grateful that it wasn’t worse, or more expensive than it was, or taking even longer than it did to get the repairs done. But nonetheless, God gets an earful of psalm-like but over-dramatic complaint: “Why, O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do hide yourself in times of trouble?” (Psalm 10:1) It’s a good thing I believe that God has broad shoulders!  But I am also sure that God must roll his eyes at the same time as such selfish childishness. After all, God didn’t tamper with my car’s air conditioner just to tick me off.

Whom do atheists blame if they don’t have a god to castigate for every mishap and inconvenience?  But I do know that some Christians, myself included sometimes, will try to guilt and shame God, as if it is all God's fault to begin with,  into acting on our behalf or bargain with God to remedy the latest misfortune or complain to God about life’s unfairness and injustice., especially if it causes us personal inconvenience and a change in our all-important plans for the day.

There are certainly crucial and critical times in our lives when it is right and good to take our complaint before God. “You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,” (Psalm 10:17).  When life is flailing and roiling in turbulence, or there are deep rifts in important relationships, or our health is seriously disrupted, or things are flying and falling apart, or when the Evil One has a hold of us, or when we are helpless, powerless, and feeling forsaken, we need to be able to come before God and debate, argue, complain, protest, grumble and even demand a few answers in the hope and expectation that a loving God hears us and is working with us. “Therefore, I will not keep silent; I will speak out in the anguish of my spirit, I will complain in the bitterness of my soul,” (Job 7:11).

I am pretty sure God doesn’t really care all that much about my cable TV service and whether I get to watch the ballgame tonight. But God does care a great deal about my and your heart, spirit, soul, well-being, faith, trust, and that these are aspects of lives, character and demeanor which are worth fighting for or fighting over.

After all, maybe Jesus is in the repairman!

Dale