So let me tell on myself… I don’t know what people mean exactly when they say “He’s such a tool!” I think it is supposed to be derogatory. (Hopefully I didn’t say anything too bad by typing that out for all the world to see.) However I learned a little something this weekend and it makes me want to start saying “He or she is a tool” in a good way. Here is the story (and the second “telling on myself.”):
So I have this bedroom door that has been waiting on me for about 6 weeks now. The bedroom door is a replacement door that has simply been leaning against the wall. I know how this process goes- you match up the old door hinge location on the new door. Then you chisel it out to the right depth. Put the hinges on, try it out then go from there. Easy.
So I go to Dad’s house, pick up the chisel, make sure it is the right kind (wood chisel, not cold chisel…made that mistake last time). Then I got home and started chiseling. It wasn’t going as easy as last time, the chisel was a little dull. I got it done, but it was a little messy. It seemed that something was a little off.
Next day Dad comes over to help do the rest, since two hands are better than one. He had to do a little more chiseling because we got a bigger hinge than the last one. Then I saw it. I had been using the chisel upside down. Ohhhhhh. Works better when you use it with the sharp edge pointed in the right direction. The chisel did work for me, just would have worked better the way it is SUPPOSED to. Ohhh it was made to be used THAT way.
So, why am I putting this on the missions blog? When we head into the world to be FLUID, serve and love people, we often know what we are supposed to do, head off to do it, get it done. However, it was a lot harder than it should have been. Sometimes it is because we hear God tell us to go and do something but we forget to spend a little learning time during process. To let Him guide us and point us, and sometimes flip us over. I get caught up with the excitement of doing that thing I sometimes think I have it all down and get busy doing it. I forget to let Him show me how to do it. And allow myself to be “a tool.”
I love to see folks being used by God, to see them show me how to be a tool and to have them share how they had to stop and be turned in the Master’s hand to be used like we are made to be. His tool.
Hope that made sense…it’s hard to describe…if you want me to show you sometime, just ask.
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