God's Toolbox

I remember when I got the box and the tools. I spent days organizing the drawers, making sure that every tool had a spot and it was properly placed in that location. It was my wonderful, perfect creation, and now it was a mere shadow of its former glory. "The child has done this," my eight-year-old son had used my tools! I guess it was partly my fault. I told him he could use them, if he obeyed the rules and kept them like I did.

While pondering if he was going to make it to his next birthday, I was struck by the resemblance of the scene to a story from the Bible. A perfect world given to the children of God. All they had to do was follow the rules. But temptation came along. (Like handing someone a hammer and a sheet of bubble wrap!) The Father arrived and saw the mess. Boy, were they in trouble! He did punish them, by casting them out of the garden. The Lord also showed his mercy that day, by allowing them to live out their lives. Not easy lives by any means, but still His mercy blessed them with children. And now,my child had broken the rules and had to be punished.

Slowly I started to put my tools away, carefully cleaning each one. I lovingly placed each of these chrome-plated works of art into its own special place. Once again, the Scriptures came racing into my head. Each of us is like one of these wrenches, dirty and out of place. But with the salvation that comes from Christ, we are cleaned, and placed in that distinguished location where we belong.

As I continued throughout the disordered drawers, I realized that the Bible is full of people who used tools. Noah must have been a pretty good carpenter. How he built that thing without a circular saw, I will never know! Seems that every time you turn the page, there is a mention of someone building something.

My toolbox pales in comparison to the ones that those guys must have had. As I looked at the top compartment, I noticed my selection of pliers, some small, some large, some with locking jaws that close like a vice (don't want to mention any brand names!)

Some of them have long, pointed tips for working in tight places. That is when I realized that God's toolbox is a lot like mine. No single tool does it all. The Lord uses all of His tools like a skilled craftsman, gently sanding and carving our lives. Sometimes He uses a sledgehammer to make a point (I must admit that I am the target of this tool often!)I went from each drawer with a new insight as to how He might use a wrench to adjust a life and a clamp on someone else. I now firmly believe that some of us are hardened bolts, some of us are lock washers, and some of us are just plain nuts!

Screwdrivers, levels, tape measures and pry-bars all took on a new meaning. I continued cleaning and replacing the dishevel, until I reached the bottom drawer. There it was... a roll of duct tape. I thought about all of the things in my life I had repaired with that stuff. It works well, sticks to most things, strong and has that very attractive gray color. But I realized that everything that had tape on it eventually came undone. It is great for a quick repair, but doesn't really fix the problem.

I thought of all of the "duct taping" I had done in my spiritual life. Hurriedly doing a repair that I knew would not last. It was time to make a permanent remodel of my life! I quickly finished my tidying and sought out my son. I took him to the side of the toolbox and shared with him what I had discovered about the Lord. I forgave him for his transgression. He looked up at me with those big brown eyes and said "Does this mean I can use the tools again someday?" With tears in my eyes, I said "Sure... when you turn 30."

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Contributed by Bill Walters
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