S04E078, Cables, Hard Work and Doing It Right, Part II, Andy B 2 Minute Video

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Every day is a learning day! And I learned that you can be made to learn the same thing over and over! Because, today, I learned that it can be too early to count your chickens. Again!

Having struggled with fitting a replacement TV to our supposed universal TV stand, I thought I had sorted the issue with being unable to fit cables in the back - due to the way the universal TV stand completely covered the plugs and sockets and on the back of the TV; I bought some right angled plugs that were meant to bypass the issue by simply pointing the plugs away from the solid metal of the TV stand, making it easy.

In my excitement I managed to bend one of those right angle plugs as I tried to put the whole assembly back together. Turns out the gap between the back of the TV and the universal stand was quite a bit less than I thought, hence the newly purchased - and now bent - plug!

After giving up quickly with that particular solution I spent some 30 minutes cutting the metal on the TV stand, before bending it flat on itself – with a hammer - so it no longer blocked the path for those cables which could be easily pushed into their respective sockets.

This got me thinking about those times when we rush ahead, all while assuming the solution in our hand is the exact one needed at that exact moment. Or at least it may be a solution, but it may actually not quite fit as we’d hoped. It might even be the right solution, but delivered at the wrong moment. For example, there is little point fitting a new windscreen (windshield) to your car before you remove the reason it got smashed in the first place - right solution, wrong timing.

One example that comes to mind is the Christian faith. We can throw it confidently at people, as the solution to all solutions: Jesus truly is the way, the truth, and the life and He makes everyone’s life infinitely better. But we can’t force people to follow Jesus and become His disciples. Our responsibility is to simply ensure we show everybody who meets us that we have a love of Jesus Christ (and whatever actions may be necessary for us to live out that love of Jesus), and allow the Holy Spirit to do the rest.

The bible teaches us to consider carefully before committing to follow Jesus. It also reminds us that it isn’t something we should do on a whim. So, we need to be careful when  offering up Christianity as the solution – it is a perfect solution but, much like my rather bent little plug, we can’t force a good solution upon a person who is not ready because we’ll do more damage.

So, let’s let everyone we meet see the Jesus Christ in us through our words and actions. But, let’s not try and force it anyone. That simply doesn’t end well for anybody.

Just a thought...

Andy B

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0:06 So another Andy B 2 Minute Video and this is actually Part 2. Part 1 was, well, yesterday.

0:13 We were given a TV at the weekend by some friends. We've fitted it to a universal TV stand and what we discovered was that it isn't as universal as you might hope. We found that, actually, part of the metal sheet at the back of the universal fitting, that the TV sits upon, actually blocked all the sockets and plugs for the TV.

0:36 So, not a problem thought I, I'll buy some right angle, little sockets so you can plug it into the TV. It goes straight down and the cables will go in, no drama, which didn't work. One of them did, but one of them didn't. So, in the end, I did what I probably should have done the first time round. I actually took a little hacksaw. I cut the metal on the TV stand, not the TV, don't worry! I then squished it into place with a hammer, and some pliers so it's out of the way. So, now, there's a nice clear gap for these cables to go in.

1:08 As it happens, I've actually used one of these right angle plugs anyway, because ithelps us somewhere else on the TV. It makes things a little bit tidier. But this got me thinking about how sometimes we can count our chickens before they're hatched.

1:22 I really thought my solution was good. And it was a good idea, but it didn't quite pan out. So what do I do? Do I get fed up? Stressed? Depressed? Do I throw my hands in the air? Or think, okay, what's next? It was a few quid for these little plugs and they didn't work, but I used one anyway so it's not a total loss. And we damaged one in the process, so I can't send them back.

1:43 But it got me thinking about our lives, and how, sometimes, we, we try and do stuff and we know the solution is the right one, but it just doesn't work. And we we can try, and we can try, and we can strain, as I was with the TV, but it just won't fit. And, actually, we need to have a little bit of a step back and a rethink.

2:03 So, have a check of your life and think where is it I'm really struggling. I know I've got the right solution and it still isn't working because, perhaps, what you and I know to be the solution is not. Perhaps we need to go back to God and say God, what was your solution for this? Is there a better way of doing this?

2:21 Just a thought.