Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Pushing


One of my favorite things about fall is the abundance of fresh delicious apples. In Virginia, picking apples in the country orchard and bringing them home to eat fresh or use in yummy recipes has become one of the activities that just says fall for our family. There are few things better than a fresh picked juicy apple right off the tree.

Several years ago we bought an apple slicer which is put to good use every autumn. With one quick push, the apple is cored and cut into convenient slices, ready to eat. One afternoon, as I was trying to prepare a snack for Libby and her friend, I pulled the apple slicer from the drawer. After centering it on the apple and pushing down once, I realized this apple was going to be a little difficult. Being more determined, I centered the slicer once again on the apple and gave it another push, but still did not have my conveniently sliced snack when I was done. Being determined, I squared my shoulders for another attempt, only to hear the handle of the slicer snap – to the hilarious entertainment of my daughter and her friend. I had pushed too far this time.

True confession – I am a pusher. Some people would dress it up in fancy clothes and call it determination, which is usually viewed as a positive quality. But the reality for me is some of what I do is not determination – it’s pushing. And what happens to those around me when I push? Just like the apple slicer, sometimes things get broken. Sometimes people get broken. But there is another role model I can choose to imitate.

God can do anything, you know-far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, His Spirit deeply and gently within us.
Ephesians 3:20 (The Message)


God chooses to deal with me, not by pushing, but by working deeply and gently within me. I love thinking of God and realizing how He is ever the gentleman – never demanding His way into my life, but constantly ready to show me the way home to peace and forgiveness when I look to Him. He doesn’t push for me to follow Him, be with Him or even listen to Him. He simply waits for me to turn to Him.

How can God’s model of gently working in me apply to the way I deal with those I encounter each day? What happens when I come against situations that seem just too tough to slice? I know I can not be the Holy Spirit to anyone else, but what might happen if instead of pushing the issue just one more time, the next time I disagree with someone or something, I backed off and allowed some gentleness to do its work? Maybe, the person, or obstacle, I have come up against would soften. Maybe, I would find an alternative answer to my dilemma. Or maybe, just maybe, I would have time to realize I was wrong about where I thought things needed to go in the first place.

How about you? Is there someone or something you are pushing in your life today? Is it causing grief or anxiety for you and/or them? What might happen if you followed God’s model of gentleness? Maybe we would all end up with the results we truly need without the brokenness in the process.

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