Ever used a flathead as a drill?

Life carries on and on, and new adventures come each week.

This week, one such adventure came in the well-disguised form of installing software on a new laptop. We had a client who needed to install some software they use for court recordings (it’s a city government) on a new laptop, as the old one was getting too old. That led to the software technician I was on the phone with asking for us to connect it to a mixer, which led to the discovery that the mixer wasn’t working right, which led to the decision to use a newer piece of hardware they had available, but was on the opposite side of the judge’s bench, which led to me needing to route an ethernet cable from one side to the other. My task, for the most part was pretty easy, as concealing the wire, for most of the length was easily accomplished via a well constructed channel to run that cable into, with easy access. Then came the brick wall- well, okay, it was wood, but there was a two inch thick wood barrier that separated me from getting the cable run to the last one or two meters.

With having done as much as I did, I decided to just do what I had to. You might be wondering at this point how I knew the wood barrier was 2 inches deep. I discovered that when I had to drill a hole through it not once but three times using a flathead screwdriver. I’m going to repeat that again, because it bears repeating. I drilled three two-inch-deep holes using a standard, non-assuming Craftsman flathead screwdriver. I had to do it three times, because I was lucky enough to find a stud twice in a row. And yes, I know what you’re thinking: “...but ...whyyyy?” I have no good answers besides I’m stubborn and don’t know when to give up, sometimes. But the good news is that my efforts did indeed work.

Other minor adventures this week included fixing my friend’s laptop, helping my brother install security cameras on his house, and learning how to operate a propane fueled forklift cold-turkey on the spot with no instruction. Don’t worry too much on that last one, I have my forklift operators permit, and figuring it out was surprisingly pretty easy.

But what for a thought this week? Well, perhaps some of what I shared in discussion at Sunday school this week. Don’t worry, I promise it’s applicable no matter your religious standing! In Mark 9, we read of the account of one father who had a son with very unfortunate problems. According to the scripture, the boy was in fact possessed, and had been nearly all his life. Whether that’s strictly true or not is irrelevant, because by the context, it’s clear that whatever the case, this father had cared for the boy all his life, and toiled tirelessly trying to keep him alive and well.

With these years of toil and fear in mind, consider that he has just heard that there’s this guy and some of his apostles going around making miracles happen. And of all the luck, said apostles are coming through town. Excited at such a prospect, doubtless, he finds these apostles and asks them to heal his son. Unfortunately, due to being spiritually unprepared, the apostles are unable to accomplish the task.

It’s at this point that, if I were that father, I might possibly have called it there and said, “Well, I guess the stories I’ve heard were apparently a bit exaggerated.” But he doesn’t stop there. Jesus himself then comes through, and seeing him, this desperate father comes to him and implores of him to help. This alone shows a HUGE step of faith, which I’ll come back to in a minute. On top of that, this father, knowing he has his doubts and uncertainties, states one of the most underappreciated lines of scripture ever: “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” Every time I read that, it really makes me think.

As the rest of the story goes, the Lord heals the boy and all’s well that ends well. But like I said, going back to that moment when this father approaches Jesus for help, that is no small thing. Whether you’re Christian or not, I think everyone can agree on the fact that a good cause is a good cause, and a good thing is a good thing. This father had the desire for his child to be healed, and he saw that good that came of the things Jesus did. When the apostles weren’t able to perform the miracles he’d heard of, he did something very wise, that a lot of people today don’t often do- he didn’t pin all his faith and belief on one encounter or sign. How easy it is for people to see a fault in something or someone, and then go on to declare that, because a fine sheet of wood has one small knot in it, that the wood as a whole should be wasted and thrown away. But not this father- he was a wiser person for having better faith than that.

I share this thought because, so often, weather it’s a matter of religion, life goals, career choices, and any other number of things, we pursue down a path that is good, and leads us towards things we want. I will be the first to admit that, sometimes, these paths we follow end up being not what we ultimately want, and we have to re-chart our course and even begin again new, sometimes. But I think far too often, we as people see minor faults, little things that cause us to flinch, and our minds work so fast, that we think to ourselves, “maybe this wasn’t the best idea, after all.” Don’t let discouragement start turning you away from the light you were following. Just like the father in this story, try again. And sometimes, try again and again- and again! Eventually, you may come to find the answer really is that you should switch tracks and find a different way. But if what you desire is good, then I believe, eventually you’ll see it clear as day, just as it is.

So, there’s the thought of this week. Persist in good things, even when discouragement and persuasion tries to get the better of you. Until next time, see ya!

Ever used a flathead as a drill?

Adminisk8or

04/16/2023