Look for Jesus

For the past year or so, I’ve been having issues with the thermocouple for my hot water heater. If you don’t know what that is, you are not alone. It is basically a sensor that detects the flame, which then heats the tank. Thereby, I am able to have hot water. I’m probably not explaining that right, but that’s because I am not a plumber and until this experience, I had no idea what a thermocouple was! The issue with the thermocouple is that it’s been going bad. When it does that, it fails to register the flame being lit. Therefore, no hot water. We finally got to a point where we got a plumber to come take a look and determine it was time for a new one. 

Leading up to that moment, the tank had started to go out about once a week, maybe two days. After the plumber left and we ordered the replacement part, that number shot up  to about every 1-2 days. I would have laughed if I wasn’t frustrated. We finally heard back that the part was in and the plumber was able to square everything away for us. Thank you Jesus for hot water!

It occurred to me during this situation how life seems to take us down that type of path. When a change is in sight, the situation we are dealing with seems like the intensity level cranks up a few notches. Why is that? When the end is in sight, the road seems longer. I can recall mystery movies over the year that depict this exact scenario. When trying to escape the trouble, the path to do so seems further and further away. Even if that’s not the problem, the path seems laden with one obstacle after another. 

Situations like this remind me that it matters where my focus is. If the problem I face seizes my full attention, then I don’t know that I’ll clearly identify my escape route. If only we could shift a little of that attention to the positives. They’re hard to see when we are in the midst of a hardship. Trust me. I recently had a conversation with my primary doctor about stress and I couldn’t help but wonder at the time why it’s such a challenge for us to let go of those true stressors. The ones that have a full grip on our attention. 

When an issue, like my thermocouple, truly seizes all of our focus, it’s hard to split it. My father recently had a situation where he misplaced his car keys. What he could have done with those keys monopolized his thoughts and mine too! He exhausted every possible scenario he could think of about where those keys could be, including calling roadside assistance to open his vehicle for him, to no avail. It wasn’t until his attention shifted to how tired he felt and as he headed inside that he saw the keys. Right in front of him the entire time! That’s how our victory is. Our path to success is often right before our eyes. But, you know. Forest. Trees. You’ve heard that saying right? We often can’t see solutions because we focus on problems. Sometimes, we need to shift our focus. Start looking for the best in the midst of the trouble. It doesn’t make the problem go away. But it does prevent it from controlling you. 

Exchange your ashes for God’s beauty

Isaiah 61:3