You Already Have It!

It is amazing what you can do with some cardboard, aluminum foil and duct tape! In my last posting, I used my experiences over the weekend with a leaking water heater to highlight three lessons for Christian singles. One of those lessons was about being creative.

However we may use semantics to describe bad situations, there is no denying that some things will happen to us that we would prefer not happen to us. That’s life. Using my situation as an example, it really is no big deal that my water heater is not working properly. Things happen like that all of the time. I can host my own pity party or I can use my God-given capacity to be creative. Put another way, I can either focus on the problem or I can focus on the solution to the problem.

My “bad thing” this weekend was how to effectively capture the water that was flowing from my water heater. Choice number one: Focus on the negative impact of the flowing water. Choice number two: Focus on ways to counteract the negative impact of the flowing water. Pity parties were not going to change my situation. Just accepting the negative outcomes would not make it go away. In order for my situation to change, I had to do something and do it quickly! To make a long story less long, I found a solution to my problem with a piece of cardboard, some aluminum foil and some duct tape that I had in various places in my residence.

What in the world does this have to do with being a Christian single?

The point of this posting is not about my broken water heater or my creative solution. That is unimportant. The key point from this episode with a “bad thing” is the fact that God has already given us what we need to creatively deal with our situation.

• If we encounter a problem that requires patience, God may have already given us the ability to wait on Him. Just look around your “house”.
• We may have to deal with a challenge that can only be fixed through Godly love. You have some of that somewhere. No need to run out to the store or borrow it from a neighbor.
• Your “problem” may be that you always pick the wrong kind of man or woman to fall in love with. God has already given you the “cardboard”, “aluminum foil” and “duct tape” to help you overcome this problem.
• For those who have difficulty finding someone to love them, you have what you need to creatively reverse your romantic misfortunes.
• You may be saddled with platonic friends that drain you emotionally, physically, spiritually and/or financially. While conventional wisdom says to simply cut them loose, your untapped spiritual genius may lead you to more creative actions.

There are so many potential problems or “bad things” that can happen to Christian singles, that I cannot possibly list them all. Nor can I list all of the creative ways we can handle our problems. But God knows the list of possible challenges and He has the full list of solutions. Don’t rush to Wal-Mart and don’t leave your “house” to find a solution. Look in the attic. Try your kitchen cabinets. Rummage through all of that stuff in the garage. What you need to deal with your situation; God has already given you. Everything you need to rise above your “bad things”; you already have it!