Life through the lens: Making it smooth
In his weekly Christian column, Kevin Schrapel implores us to talk to God about how to smoothen the rough patches in our lives.
This post is the author’s personal opinion.
“Life is rough!”, “life is full of ups and downs!”, “life is hard!”, “life can be dull!”.
How often have you heard those words?
Now consider this – left to itself, concrete is rough, it has ups and downs, it is hard, it is dull.
Then into this picture comes the man with the power trowel.
He has been watching the state of the concrete as it changes, and when he judges the time is right, he starts to make the changes.
The concrete, under this new influence, begins to take on a new, more usable and finished form.
It is easy to feel down and despairing at what might happen in our lives.
Sometimes we can also feel troubled if a friend, or in some cases people we don’t know, living in another country is having a ‘rough’ time; it is what makes us human.
The concrete finisher watches and knows when the time is right to start making the change: not too soon or too late.
The hardening concrete has no option about its future – that is how it is made.
We are different.
In God’s plans of love, he made us with a free mind.
We can ignore his plans about straightening and smoothing the rough patches in life, or we can talk to him about it all.
You can speak to him about helping you let him work in your life to smooth, polish and shine the way, and at the time, in love, he has planned for you.
To encourage us, he says “for I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.” (Jeremiah 29:11-12).
These words are also his: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8).
Concreters have additives they mix into the concrete to help it do its job.
God has additives he offers to mix into your life.
They are "charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity.” (Galatians 5:22-23).
Remember this: when living is rough, everything seems to be all ups and downs, and it is all hard going, the God of love is just waiting for you to talk to him about it.
You might be surprised at what rough patches he can smooth out and what additives he might use.
Cheers, and God bless you.
