Life's Too Short to Not Have a Garage Door Opener

For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. 2 Timothy 4:6

Open Says Me
Whatever did we do before this invention? The Amish certainly don’t care--they don't have electricity and the horse and the cart won’t go in the same shed anyway. But for those of us who have totally become dependent on a garage door opener, you would think the world was coming to an end when ours went on the fritz one day. After backing out of the driveway and pressing the remote button inside the car, the door inches its way down to a foot above the cement and then retreats back up as if the sensor was possessed and saw that there was something blocking it from closing completely. Pushing the button AGAIN, the door stops, and then pushing it AGAIN allows for the door to finish its descent. We go through this every winter. Why don’t I just call the overhead door company?? Because every spring, the door works as it’s supposed to, again.

My sister shared with me that the only time she recalls seeing grandma drive is when they would get to the garage at their house on the farm. Grandpa would hop out from the driver's seat to open the garage door and grandma would slide over from the front passenger’s seat and pull the car into the garage. I guess that's what some people did before the invention of the garage door opener.

Life's short. If the garage door is broken, get it fixed!

Life's Too Short to Miss the Fireworks!

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace…to give you an expected end.” Jeremiah 29:11

Independence Day Devotional

“Can they stop now?” “I only like the color but not the noise.” These were the mutterings of my 7-year-old during our town’s Fourth of July fireworks show. I turned from the show to see my daughter with fingers in her ears and a grimace on her face yet watching the sky intently for the next burst of color.

It occurred to me then that our walk of faith is much like the traditional fireworks display. We may encounter some loud explosions and big bangs along the way which God allows for building our perseverance or due to the presence of sin in the world. But in the end, we can be assured that our eternal home will be breathtaking.

The chemistry responsible for the awesome bursts of stars and cascading streams of colors in a pyrotechnic event is complex and requires great care to make. This parallels the great care God took in making us. “So God created man in his own image.” Genesis 1:27. “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb…I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Psalm 139:13-14.

Some of life’s experiences will be more colorful and spectacular than others, and some will cause us pain. I wish there was an easy way to explain this to my young daughter, but I don’t always comprehend the reasons myself.

Leaning on the everlasting arms of God and trusting in the Holy Spirit are as much icons of the Christian life as are the American flag and fireworks of the Independence Day we celebrate in the United States.

Life's short. Celebrate the good times and persevere through the bad.