Out of Ink

Well as life goes, I waited till the last minute to print out a couple of reports that are due at a mid morning meeting, and my printer is not just low on ink but completely exhaused of ink. So, there are a couple of options, hightail it to the office supply store and restock inventory, change color of copy and print in color, or ask for help. We all get squeezed into unexpected situations that need to be resolved and most of the time there are adequate answers that can get us through, but we have to be diligent in our approach and cool headed and rational in our thoughts.

I must admit that I did take an old cartridge that had not been opened to the garage and tried like crazy to dismantle it to try to exchange the insides of the old with the new ink well, but to no avail. Then I had to examine the real options stated above.

I admit that because too many times I do try to bully answers out of my stubbornness and pride and waste a lunch of time int he process.  

Now back to the real options; restock, change color, or ask for help.  These seem simple enough in theory but each option has its hurdles.  To restock, there has to be a physical attempt to replace something that is barren.  You have to know where to go to get what you need, travel to get it and then figure out how to replace it.  To change a color, you simple have to select all, choose a color and reset the copy, but when you do that you will be stepping in tune with what has been done before.  To ask for help, you have to eat a little pride realizing that you are not in a position competent of handling whatever it is that has gone awry yourself. 

These are simple printing options but every one of them is consistent with how we deal with life.  Sometimes we do need to restock our thoughts with God’s thoughts of truth, provision, and promise because the ones we are working with have just flat run their course and have dried up our senses of joy, and faith and trust. Sometimes we need to change the color of our world and take a new picture and step into a new realm of hope and encouragement and get away from the black and white routine steps of everyday and explore new colors of wonder and appreciation for what/who are the blessings that God has put before us and around us. And lastly, that ask for help deal.  It is often one of my last resorts because I am so prideful, I want to figure things out myself and hate to impose my burdens or lack of planning or expertise on someone else. It makes me not only look vulnerable but also it spotlights my inadequacies.  Then I have to remember that the spotlight is not ever suppose to be on my but on God, for in my weakness he is strong.  There is the spotlighted source for help. 

We do have options and choices in every single situation that is before us.  And we have to decide between those options and put forth a positive effort to carry on in spite of whatever difficulties and trials we are faced with. If we allow God to be at the center of our options whether it is restocking our thoughts, changing out perspective, or extending a heap of help, he is there on all counts. He not only cherishes it when we surrender our spotlight and cast it towards him, but he is glorified whenever we embark on his ways and embrace his thoughts.   

I did change colors of my text as a back up for today’s meeting and I did solicit help from a sweet and always thoughtful friend who graciously accepted my plea to print from her computer my attached files in black.  I will restock before day’s end and my printer will once again be print ready.  But I have to ask will I?  Will I be able to go forth in this day with confidence that whatever happens I will be life ready.  Ready to restock my thoughts if they are barren of fruitful judgments? Will I be able to force a change in my perspective and will I ask for help instead of trying to navigate tough roads alone?  The answer is yes only if I am seeking God’s heartfelt attention to my details, and if I honestly, faithfully and truthfully am embracing the truth that he not only loves me in a way that I cannot imagine, but he also provides for me in infinite loving ways that I do not deserve.

We do have choices....do I count on God or is the spotlight on me?  

Hebrews 4:16

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Dear Lord, I had no intention of writing about this silly printer problem but I thank you for helping me to think through the options so that I could relate it to my everyday walk.  Please be with me and my friends who are reading this today and help us to learn to see all life options through your lens and give us joy and peace even in the mist of hardship and heartache.  Amen     

Praise God wherever you are and whatever situation He has allowed you to be in . . . His glory will shine through!