I have a favorite pair of jeans. They are a pair of Levi's 505. I have worn them in and they are comfortable to me - I love them! The problem is that over the years (yes YEARS) the jeans have developed holes in and around the back pockets. The holes are big enough that they needed to be patched so my boxer shorts don't show through :). So Missy (my wife) proceeded to sew them up and to apply some patches to the jeans so that they could be worn again. Voila! The jeans were fixed . . .
or so we thought . . .
I put the pants in the wash and, what a bummer, the patches were halfway removed from the water and movement of the washing machine. I was SO BUMMED - did I say I loved those jeans?
So I took on the task of patching them myself. This time I not only used a patch but a special adhesive that holds the patch in place (I have no idea what its called). The trick to the adhesive is that it is HEAT activated; you need to use an iron and press it on the patch and adhesive so it will set and work correctly. It's not a little heat that's necessary, but a lot of heat. I turned the iron on high and pressed it on the stop for 2 minutes. Luckily nothing started on fire. I was so excited - the patches held!!! We'll see what happens in the next wash.
Now - where is the spirituality in all of this? Why is Steve rambling on about his jeans? As I was working on my jeans I was thinking about discipleship and how to move a person from point to point. I was thinking about my life and I realized that there were times in my life (and still are) when it takes "heat" from God, pressure if you will, to get my discipleship moving. Heat from God could be relationship, financial, or job challenges. The heat gets turned up and you get the opportunity to see if what you have learned "sticks" or if you need more work in that area. All metals, when formed, are forged in fire. When you are forged in fire you become something beautiful and you are ready for the challenges ahead!
Patch the jeans . . . and be ready for the heat to get turned up.
or so we thought . . .
I put the pants in the wash and, what a bummer, the patches were halfway removed from the water and movement of the washing machine. I was SO BUMMED - did I say I loved those jeans?
So I took on the task of patching them myself. This time I not only used a patch but a special adhesive that holds the patch in place (I have no idea what its called). The trick to the adhesive is that it is HEAT activated; you need to use an iron and press it on the patch and adhesive so it will set and work correctly. It's not a little heat that's necessary, but a lot of heat. I turned the iron on high and pressed it on the stop for 2 minutes. Luckily nothing started on fire. I was so excited - the patches held!!! We'll see what happens in the next wash.
Now - where is the spirituality in all of this? Why is Steve rambling on about his jeans? As I was working on my jeans I was thinking about discipleship and how to move a person from point to point. I was thinking about my life and I realized that there were times in my life (and still are) when it takes "heat" from God, pressure if you will, to get my discipleship moving. Heat from God could be relationship, financial, or job challenges. The heat gets turned up and you get the opportunity to see if what you have learned "sticks" or if you need more work in that area. All metals, when formed, are forged in fire. When you are forged in fire you become something beautiful and you are ready for the challenges ahead!
Patch the jeans . . . and be ready for the heat to get turned up.
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