Life's Instruction Manual

I had to purchase a new phone this past month. I really hated to give up my old phone because I had grown very fond of it, but after 6 years it was no longer meeting my needs . I was not looking forward to figuring out how the new phone worked. When I got my new phone I immediately began pushing buttons trying to figure out how the thing worked. One of the buttons said, “Update now.” So I thought, “OK, why not?” and pushed it. Well, to make a long story short, that little button didn’t know what it was talking about (or I didn’t know what I was getting in to when I pushed it) and that little button caused my phone to completely shut down. After pushing that little button, I couldn’t get my phone to do anything!

Now I really had a situation on my hands. Not only did I have a new phone that I didn’t know how to use, but I had a new phone that was not usable. It was at that point that I knew I needed help. This situation needed more knowledge than I possessed. In other words, I didn’t have a clue what to do. So, I did what a lot of wives probably do when they are in over their heads…..I said, “Honey, can you help me with my phone?” I could have, should have, gotten online and looked at the instruction manual but I chose to take the easy way out and ask my husband for help.

And, of course, my sweet husband promptly took the phone out of my hand and began to investigate what I had done when I “pushed that little button”. At that point, my husband could have gotten online and read the instruction manual but he didn’t and, after about 45 minutes of not being able to figure out what I had done to that phone, he decided he now needed help. To make this long story short, 3 hours later he got off the phone with the manufacturer of the phone and handed it back to me, all fixed…..ready to go again.

As I held the phone in my hand, I realized how frustrated I had become over this situation and the fact that I now held the fixed phone in my hand, but I was still no closer to knowing how the thing worked than I was 3 hours ago when I caused it to stop working. It was at that point that I wondered, if I had read the instruction manual before I even began fiddling with the phone, would I have avoided that 3 hour mess? Uhhh, probably!

I don’t know about you, but I typically disregard instruction manuals and dive right into using the product that comes with the instruction manual. This mentality has gotten me into trouble more times than I can count. After this phone fiasco, I began to think about life. I realized that when I dive right into a situation in life without reading the instruction manual, I can make a mess of things just like I did with my phone. But when I have read (and memorized) my life instruction manual, my life seems to fall into place better and I have a better attitude when things get rough.

I am so thankful that God chose to give me the Bible, my life instruction manual, so that I won’t have to bumble through life like I bumbled through learning to use that phone. He taught me a long time ago that if I read my instruction manual every day and commit it to memory, my time here on this earth won’t be a mess like my phone was. My time here on this earth can be filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control.

Over the years, as I have dug deep into my instruction manual, the Bible, I have found that God has used His instructions for my good, and through my obedience to those instructions, I have attained a deep abiding peace and joy in my life that I know I would not have had without them. His instructions have given me guidance through my life struggles, along with direction and comfort in the midst of those struggles. No matter what situation I have found myself in, I have found instructions in the Bible that speak to my situation.

God knows me intimately and is always right there with a verse for me that ministers to me when and where I need it. God knows that I worry so He spoke Matthew 6:25-34 into my heart…..…”Do not worry........” God knows that I struggle with discontentment so He spoke Philippians 4:11-12 into my heart, “I have learned to be content no matter what the circumstances……..” God knows that I don’t understand so many things that happen in my life so He spoke Proverbs 3:5-6 into my heart, “Trust the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own understanding……..” God knows that I can be fearful so He spoke II Timothy 1:7 into my heart, “God has not given me a spirit of fear……..” God knows that I am selfish so He spoke Luke 9:23 into my heart, “…if anyone would come after me he must deny himself……..” God knows that I have a weak mind so He spoke II Corinthians 10:5 into my heart, “…take captive every thought……..” God knows that I am impatient so He spoke Psalm 37:6 into my heart, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently on Him."

Do you struggle with anything like I do?  If so, do you run to your instruction manual, the Bible, for direction?  If you do, I praise God with you and encourage you to share what God is doing in your life with others.  If you don't, and your life is a tangled mess, it is my prayer for you that you read God's Word every day letting His instructions seep deep into your soul, allowing Him to untangle the mess.  It's not too late!  He can do it, you know, if you just let Him.



Encouraging You In Christ!

All Praise, Honor and Glory to God!