Tangled Thread

By: Steve Huston

Situations can catch us off guard; the tasks and tribulations of life can overwhelm us with pressure. It’s important that whether we are getting involved in activism, attacked by opposition, or misunderstood and drawn into disagreements that we handle things according to the Word of the Lord. We are the servants of Christ and represent Him; whether we are responding to unfair statements or addressing issues, we are to be loving and kind. There is a place for righteous indignation, but let us make sure that it is indignation on behalf of our Lord, not self-justifying or self-preserving indignation held up by Biblical standards or even supported by Holy Writ.

As stated at the start of this article, there are times we lose our footing, lose our temper, or even, temporarily, lose our way. At such a point, what are we to do? Where do we turn? Self-evaluation is vital and we should look at where our feet are, look at God’s path, and quickly turn our feet fully into the paths laid out by Scripture if we are even slightly off-kilter. Let us follow David’s oft-prayed prayer of crying out to the Lord and asking Him to hear our voice.

I find this illustration to be of benefit:

There was a sign that hung in an old textile mill that read: “When your thread becomes tangled, call the foreman.” A young woman was new to the job and, as expected, her thread became tangled. Looking at the sign, she thought, “I’ll just straighten this out myself.” She tried and she tried to untangle that thread, but to no avail, the situation only worsened. Finally, she called the foreman and said, “I did the best I could.” To which the kindly foreman replied, “No, you didn’t. The best thing you could have done is to call for me.”

Dear friend, who do you call for help? Do you attempt to untangle the messed-up threads in your life? If so, surely, you’ve witnessed how the knots only get tighter and more complicated? Maybe you go to your friends or psychology books for help. Maybe you follow culture’s lead or respond in kind to those who have attacked you. Or do you call upon the Divine Foreman who is able to make all things right? Are you working things out “according to the Word of God” or are you working your thread by the cultural standards, your own intellect, or the way in which your family has walked for generations? Call upon God; trust in Him; “Be not wise in thine own eyes; fear the LORD, and depart from evil.” (Proverbs 3:7)

 

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