The Right Tools

For my birthday this year my wife got me an inversion table. AWESOME! And after 3 weeks of waiting...it finally arrived at the house. As excited as I am about being able to use this potentially life-changing device, it was like a sucker punch to the gut when I read 2 of my least favorite words in the whole world on the box: ASSEMBLY REQUIRED. (There should be a law against having to put your birthday present together. I'll save that issue for another day.) I finally got the nerve to open the box, spread out all the parts, dive into the Instruction Manual, and give it a go. Once I had all the pieces laid out in front of me, I noticed this really obscure looking tool. It looked like a reject from the Catalog of Stupid Tools. Not that there is such a thing. But if there was, this tool would be on page 2 or 3. But I thought, "Well, it's in the box. So It must be good for something!" You would think that would be the case. But you'd be wrong. After 15 minutes of trying to use this stupid wannabe wrench, I was ready to throw it through the wall. I finally gave up in frustration and went and got a monkey wrench & a crescent wrench and tried to fake my way through it. (Just so we're clear: the inversion table is still in pieces on my bedroom floor.) So, my first point in all of this is simple: I believe the words ASSEMBLY REQUIRED will be on the wall in hell.

While my frustration with the unnamed manufacturer who failed to give me the proper tools OR instructions is still eating away at me, this little incident has reminded me of one of the incredible aspects of God's greatness and love toward us: He NEVER calls us to anything - to do or say or accomplish anything - that He doesn't also equip us to fulfill. NEVER! Now there are some things we have to be mindful of in our understanding of this. God equips us for HIS purposes, not our own. He calls us to HIS mission, not the things that we temporarily get all excited and fancy about. He gives us words when we feel like we have none. He gives us courage when we think we're ready to wet our pants and pass out. God takes armies of 10,000 and reduces them to 300 so that it's crystal clear that HE brought the victory, not us. HE is the one who equips. And He does it fully and completely and however He sees fit. He ALWAYS gives us the right tools! The thing that He asks of us: OBEDIENCE. Answer the call. Step out in faith. Say "Yes, Lord!" even when "No way!" seems like the only logical and reasonable conclusion. OBEDIENCE. And faithfulness. And don't wait. Often, He doesn't hand us or fill us with what we need until the moment we need it. He's like that sometimes. It's so there won't be any wonder or confusion in the matter about who deserves the credit and the glory. Cause we're like that sometimes. 

Is the Lord calling you to step out in faith right now?
What's He calling you to do? Where is He calling you to go?
What's stopping you?

I wish God had designed and packaged my inversion table!