By~Max Lucado
When a potter bakes a pot, he checks its solidity by pulling it out of theoven and thumping it. If it “sings,” it’s ready. If it “thuds,” it’s placed back in the oven.The character of a person is also checked by thumping. Been thumped lately?
Late-night phone calls. Grouchy teacher. Grumpy moms. Burnt meals. Flat tires. You've-got-to-be-kidding deadlines. Those are thumps. Thumps are those irritating inconveniences that trigger the worst in us. They catch us off guard. Flat-footed. They aren't the big enough to be crises, but if you get enough of them, watch out! Traffic jams. Long lines. Empty mailboxes. Dirty clothes on the floor. Even as I write this, I’m being thumped. Because of interruptions, it has taken me almost two hours to write these two paragraphs. Thump. Thump. Thump.
How do I respond? Do I sing? Or do I thud? Jesus said that out of the nature of the heart a man speaks (Luke 6:45).There’s nothing like a good thump to reveal the nature of a heart. The true character of a person is seen not in momentary heroics but in the thump-packed humdrum of day-to-day living. If you have a tendency to thud more than you sing, take heart.There is hope for us “thudders”:
1. Begin by thanking God for thumps. I don't mean a half-hearted thank-you. I mean a rejoicing, jumping-for-joy thank-you from the bottom ofyour heart (James 1:2). Chances are that God is doing the thumping. And he's doing it for your own good. So every thump is a reminder that God is molding you (Hebrews 12:5–8).
2. Learn from each thump. Face up to the fact that you are not “thump-proof.” You are going to be tested from now on. You might as well learn from the thumps —you can't avoid them. Look upon each inconvenience as an opportunity to develop patience and persistence. Each thump will help you or hurt you, depending on how you use it.
3. Be aware of thump-slump times. Know your pressure periods. For me Mondays are infamous for causing thump-slumps. Fridays can be just as bad. For all of us, there are times during the week when we can anticipate an unusual amount of thumping. The best way to handle thump-slump times? Head on. Bolster yourself with extra prayer, and don't give up. Remember, no thump is disastrous. All thumps work for good if we are loving and obeying God
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Wow!
When I read this devotional today it gave me great pause.
I had to stop and think about ALL the daily :Thump-Thuds"
I have every day!
And how I respond to each of them. I thought about all the times
I came out of the oven and sounded like a "thud." Only to be put back
into the oven so that one day I'd sing :-). It made me smile.
God is so good!
He is always showing, opening, giving us opportunities in our lives
to respond and react to the "Thumps" in our lives. I just never
thought of it in this way.
For me I know this analogy will stay with me forever.
Somethings just do. Maybe it will help me to come out
of the trials~"oven" Singing more :-).
I take comfort in knowing, even if I come out with a thud
God won't give up on me. He will just put me right back
into the oven~until I come out singing.
That to me is already something to sing about :-).
Blessings & Love to all
Donna
