Tools

Tools

I have a junk drawer in my kitchen. It is full of weird stuff; a stapler, window suction hooks, string, a tiny but powerful hammer, batteries, a multi-head screwdriver and a pair of pliers are all stuffed in there. Some of the stuff gets used regularly, some only once in a while. Sometimes that is the place I go to look for something little that is missing – it is the catch all drawer. Some things are in the drawer very intentionally, some are just there because there is no where else to put them. I wouldn’t keep the tools in that drawer if it weren’t for my husband whose motto is “use the right tool for the job at hand.” I am learning to live by his motto though in my heart I do believe that a high heeled shoe makes a good hammer and that a kitchen knife usually functions well as a screwdriver. I must admit however that his motto is quite helpful and having the right tools on hand has spared a few pairs of shoes and more than one butter knife.

Having the right tool for the job at hand works in the emotional relational realm as well. I have been learning in the emotional realm to replace malfunctioning “tools” like silence with open dialogue, or like being controlling with sharing responsibility. It isn’t always easy for me to replace habitually used coping tools with better tools made just for the job.

Sometimes I don’t even recognize that I am behaving in a way that self protects instead of in a way that reflects God’s glory. Fear, lack of self awareness, habits and learned patterns are all mixed up with poorly used emotional tools. I need to do regular sorting and cleaning out of my emotional junk drawer to live with any measure of God’s glory shining from me. As much as I want to do a clean sweep, I realize that I can not get the whole emotional junk drawer cleaned out in one fell swoop – it is too jumbled up, so I lean on God. He helps me one step at a time. He leads in quiet ways that are measured for success. He helps me see what to untangle, then one realization at a time, I work through the mess with Him leading all the way.