Fix

Fix

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!

“WHY DO YOU SMELL LIKE DINNER?” Tim asked one night as I climbed into bed.

“That’s not nice!” I said, laughing. “I’m having a problem with my hair. I’m trying to fix it with apple cider vinegar.”

“Mmm,” he replied noncommittally, sniffing a bit. Then, after a pause, he added, “Fish and chips sound really good right now.”

“Stop it!” I said with a laugh, slugging him. “Thanks a lot.”

It all started on vacation. The water in our cabin was so hard that, by week’s end, my hair no longer felt clean. Instead, it felt sticky. Embarrassed, I returned home and tried every trick I could think of to fix it, including apple cider vinegar. But in the morning, the texture was the same. I had failed again.

A few days later while preparing for a visit from our heating and air-conditioning company, I decided to check the water softener. To my chagrin, it was empty. Not a single grain of salt remained. No wonder my hair wouldn’t come clean. The water was too hard to clean my hair.

Afterward, salt level and hair texture restored to normal, I couldn’t help but be struck by the significance. How often do we try to fix an external problem without dealing with our empty heart? All of our self-help remedies amount to nothing. We can’t fix the things we encounter in this life without dealing with the root problem.

All too often I find myself wondering why I try so hard to rely on my own strength when I have a Father who is willing to take on my burdens. Why strive for what we already have been freely given? Why try to work out a salvation that’s already been paid for? And why try to fix ourselves, even knowing that God would take the burden of our insecurities and give us nothing but freedom in return?

Thankfully, we don’t need to waste time trying to fix ourselves without God’s help. Instead, we can rely on promises he’s given: His grace is sufficient. His power is made perfect in our weakness. And when we are weak, he is strong (see 2 Corinthians 12:9-10). Instead of trying to fix ourselves, let’s turn to him.

Lord, thank you that we don’t need to try to fix ourselves. Amen.

-Kristin

One Good Step: Think of a problem that feels too big for you to fix. Today, choose to surrender it to God and ask him to bear the burden.