I like to think that I am very self- sufficient and capable of doing many things. But not too long ago I asked my husband Bob to hang two shelves for me in our living room. I’m sure this is a job I could have done myself except for the fact that his hammers are all neatly tucked away in a tool box in a far away land where wives are not allowed to go, the garage! I have to use a can of Spaghetti O’s to pound a nail in the house. So I decided that instead of ending up with one more dented can in the cupboard I would request his help on this project that would in my time estimation, take about 10 minutes.

I had already brought the shelves in from storage, dusted them, they were ready to hang, so I proceeded to hold them until he was ready for one. My question is "What made this a tiny little project in my mind but a home remodeling job in his mind? I watched as he made eight trips to the garage to bring inside the proper tools for this job. First, the proper hammer, the one that would have just the right amount of force to get the nails in place. Next, a box with at least twenty compartments, each one held different size nails. Now I know which one I would have used, it was about three inches long and I know that shelf would never come down with that spike holding it up. But he’s just got going. Next came the ladder, the drop cloth and most important the LEVEL! O.K. we’re ready to go to work.

Out comes the tape measure, which by the way Bob has at least 50 of, all sizes, all colors, all out in his truck hung neatly in a row. When I want to measure something I have to use a piece of string that I guess is about a foot long and go from there. Next, he measures and marks the wall in pencil so that the shelves will line up perfectly. About an hour and a half later he is nailing the last exactly correct size nail into the wall, the shelves are hanging. But for the final test, out comes the level and it’s perfect! The shelves are lined up and hung perfectly, but, I think the wall may be a little crooked, no it’s not that, oh, I see, one shelf is a ¼ of an inch smaller than the other is. It’s not perfect after all.

My thought after watching this whole procedure was "I could have eyeballed it and it would have taken me ten minutes" but alas, Bob’s way looked much better and we both knew it.

Unfortunately I think I am guilty of trying to help God with short cuts once in a while. I’m not very patient sometimes and I’m not one to do things as perfect as they should be done, but thankfully I know, just as the Psalmist knew; "It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect." Psalms 18:32

I may ask, "Lord, why are you making me go through all of these struggles, isn’t there an easier, quicker way to get this done? But I have learned that once I go to my Heavenly Father in prayer and ask for His Will to be done, the answer will be well thought out, well measured, and level, because it’s God’s Way and not one of my quick fix eyeballed jobs. I will never be perfect, but God is. And the best part is that He doesn’t expect me to be perfect, He loves me just the way I am. "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that is that it did not know Him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and we know that when He appears. We shall be like Him. For we shall see Him as He is. 1 John 3:1&2

How wonderful to know that those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God, confess their sins and ask Him into their hearts are lavished in His love, we are His children. He is the only part of life that is perfect. Thank you Jesus.