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When Our Own Way Doesn't Work

by Jerry Ousley  
1/27/2017 / Christian Living

            Have you ever tried to make a square peg fit into a round hole?  We’ve heard that expression many times but if you have ever tried it, rest assured it doesn’t work.  My current job is fixing and setting up computers.  My uncle used to say, “Education is expensive no matter how you get it,” and he was right.  Whether we pay for it at a college or institution or get it through experience, it always costs us something.  In my early days of the experience part of education I cost the company I worked for a lot of money.  A computer which ran their coordinate measurement machine (CMM for short) had all but gone out.  It had been “coughing and sputtering” for some time but finally it’s time was over and it “gave up” its “artificial intelligence” (I’d say ghost but after all we are talking about a machine).

 

            No problem.  I could fix up another one in a jiffy – except there was a special card inside this computer that was directly connected to the CMM.  This card was a crucial item.  As I took the old computer apart and examined the card I thought, “It looks like a standard slot to me,” and so I proceeded to put it in.  It measured the same length as the card slot but I have to admit that I had to press very firmly to get it to slide into place.  About that time one of the company engineers stepped into my office and feeling very proud of myself I showed-off a bit feeling like I had saved the company a lot of money over buying the special computer the machine manufacturer had recommended.  But as I fired the computer up, it whirred for a while; then I noticed something that left me extremely concerned; smoke was coming from the computer.  After I quickly unplugged it and let it cool off I tore into it only to discover that the special card I had forced into the slot had black places around it.  I had burned out the essential card and had succeeded in immobilizing the machine.  It forced the company to purchase the more expensive computer and caused about a week’s downtime on the CMM.  But I did it my way!

 

            In John 21:1-13 Peter had decided to return to fishing.  I feel like that he was disappointed in himself and that the only option he had was to give up on being a disciple for the Lord, after his denial of Him, and just go back to the only thing he knew how to do.  I can imagine him feeling that this would solve his problem.  It was his way.  Some of the other disciples chose to go with him and the Bible tells us that they spent all night casting their nets without catching a thing.  Talk about feeling discouraged!  Peter didn’t feel worthy to continue being a disciple and now he failed at the only other thing he knew how to do.  Have you ever found yourself in a situation like this?  It’s a helpless feeling to say the least.

 

            But the Bible tells us that near dawn the next day they saw a figure standing on the shore.  They couldn’t quite make out who this person was but he called out to them, “Have you got anything to eat?”  Peter hung his head as he yelled back a very disappointed and discouraging, “No.”  The individual called back, “Just throw your nets over on the right side of the boat and you’ll catch something.”  Remember that they had fished all night long.  Did this person think that they hadn’t thrown their nets out on every single side of the boat?  But just to appease this stranger they did it.  When they did almost immediately the nets began to pull heavy.  As they began to draw them in they discovered the nets teaming with large fish.  This had happened before.  It took place when they first met Jesus.  It was John who exclaimed, “It’s the Lord!”  It had to be.  When Peter realized this he put his outer clothing back on and dove into the water to swim to Jesus.

 

            Sometimes we just feel like we’ve got to do things our way.  There are times when our own way succeeds.  But there are also times when our way fails miserably.  Whether we are successful or not, we still should always do things God’s way.  His way will succeed.  But when we insist on doing it our way and we fail, rest assured that our Lord is always patiently waiting on the shore with a plan that will work.  Sometimes we’ve just got to fail before we see it.  When our way doesn’t work thank God that His way always does.

Jerry D. Ousley is the author of "Soul Challenge", "Soul Journey", "Ordeal", "The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional" and his first novel "The Shoe Tree." Newer books include "Finality" and "Dividing God's Church." Visit our website at spiritbread.com to download these and more completely free of charge

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