Even Duct Tape Has Its Limits
I am not much of a tool guy unless you consider electronic gadgets tools, then I am very much a tool guy. My Dad is a tool guy, very much like his dad who had every tool imaginable. I inherited a lot of my grandfather’s tools, many of which are really great tools. Some are used for very specific tasks, and many have multiple functions.
When I consider the “general tool” category, the most valuable item that comes to my mind is duct tape.
I know many people wouldn’t consider duct tape a tool, but the number of things that you can do with duct tape is limitless!
I’ve patched bike tires with duct tape. I’ve used it to hold things together for decades, like a heating duct in the basement. I’ve used it to keep things together temporarily until a more permanent fix could be made.
I once used duct tape to stop the bleeding from a bad cut...probably should have gotten stitches for that one.
Duct tape’s uses are really too numerous to count. It is truly an invaluable tool in any workshop. There is, however, an area where duct tape is not helpful at all...relationships.
Duct tape can't fix my relationships. Duct tape can’t even temporarily hold the relationship together for me until I can find a more permanent solution.
Duct tape works wonders on inanimate objects, but when I think I can fix relationships the way I fix things, I need a gut check from God.
In 27 years of marriage, I can’t tell you how many times I have tried to fix the things that I think need fixing in my wife with “duct tape.” Most often, during these times, I’m the one who needs the attention.
In these moments, what I need most is something not found in a workshop. What I need most, like duct tape, is also limitless in its value: God’s love. God has an endless supply of love for both myself and my wife to receive and give to others.
As we seek to repair relationships, the key to that restoration and healing most often comes from our surrendering to God what we think we can fix but only He can mend with His infinite love.
When it comes to rifts and wounds in our souls, God is the only source for healing. His love dispensed through us is like duct tape for our souls. It has the power to patch us up, hold us together, and permanently heal the scars within us.
Have you ever found yourself using “duct tape” to try and hold your relationships together? Are you ready to exchange your “duct tape” for the only tool that is truly limitless in its value? If so, make this your prayer for the week and see how God moves in your life and the lives of those that you are in a relationship with.
God, forgive me for thinking my duct tape will work on the relationships in my life. I surrender my efforts here. I’m putting my duct tape away and turning to Your love as the source of healing and redemption. Change my heart with Your love, so that I begin to trust in Your love as the only agent able to repair what has gone wrong in the relationships of my life, beginning with my relationship with You.