Life has its many ups and downs. There are some weeks when there are more downs than ups. But if I didn’t have a down, I probably wouldn’t appreciate an up.
This past week was one of those down weeks. One day, we lost our electricity for maybe six hours, my printer died on me and some scammer tried to get money out of me by telling me my daughter was in jail and needed bail money.
I’m not sure if it can get any worse, but I’m going to keep my eyes open. Fortunately, the electricity came back, and the scammer, well, let’s say he didn’t get my money.
The printer was the worst thing that happened. I’ve had my printer for about six years, and I use it just about every day. I never anticipated that it would just completely die on me one day. But, it did.
I ordered a new printer, and it came on Thursday. My whole day was committed to that printer. It was a new printer with all of the latest upgraded gadgets. Personally, I don’t like new things with all the confusing gadgets they have. However, I needed to get a new printer, and so I did.
I set up the printer with Wi-Fi, and it worked very well. The next step was to connect it with my computer. The printer isn’t worth anything unless it’s connected to my computer, so I can print out the work I’m doing. At the time, I thought the worst job would be to set up the Wi-Fi for the printer. I was in for a surprise.
For several hours, I worked trying to connect my printer to my computer. I went through everything I could possibly think of to connect the two. If I can’t connect the printer to my computer, what good is it really?
After several hours of unproductive work, I was at the point of giving up.
Just then, The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage came into my office and asked how my printer was working.
“Well,” I stammered, “I can’t connect it to my computer. I’ve tried all morning and it’s not working at all. I don’t know what to do.”
She looked at me and said something I wasn’t really expecting to hear, “Let me see, maybe I can fix it for you.”
The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage has many identities, and one of them is Miss-Fixer-Upper. Everybody knows that there is not a problem she cannot fix.
I recall about five years ago, the bumper on my truck was loose, and I couldn’t fix it. I was about to take it to the garage and have the mechanic fix it. I really didn’t want to spend a couple hundred dollars but I didn’t have much of a choice.
As I was pondering this, The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage came out and said, “What’s the problem?”
So I explained my problem to her and told her I was about to take it to the garage.
She said, “Let me look at it and see if I can help.”
She looked at it for a few moments and then said, “I believe I can fix this, let me go and get something from my craft room.”
In a few minutes, she came out with a large paper clip and put it under the bumper, hooking it to the truck. Then she said, “There, I fixed it so you don’t have to take it to the garage.” That was five years ago, and the paperclip is still working.
I did not think she could fix anything with my printer. But, being the veteran husband that I am, I allowed her to at least look at it. She sat down at my computer, and I walked out to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee, knowing that there was no way she could fix it.
Walking back in with my coffee, she said, “There, it’s fixed. Try and see if it prints.”
I chuckled; knowing that there was no way she could fix that. I had my computer pull up a document and sent it to the printer.
Wouldn’t you know, that document started printing.
“I don’t think you will have any trouble with your printer now. But if you do just let me know.”
Every time I print something on that printer, I think about The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage who made it possible.
This past year, we celebrated our 54th wedding anniversary. In all those years, I can’t think of one problem she hasn’t been able to fix. If she can’t fix it, then it’s not broken. If it’s broken, she can fix it. How she does that is above my pay scale.
Pondering this, I came to one conclusion. The only thing she hasn’t been able to fix is me. Maybe one day she’ll fix me, but then people may not recognize me.
As I was printing a few things, I thought of a verse of scripture.
“He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3).
There is no problem or difficulty in my life that God cannot fix, if I let him. That’s the problem. I need to turn everything over to God and allow Him to do in my life what He is great in doing.
Everything God fixes in my life reveals His amazing grace.