SOMETIMES I FEEL LIKE
A CRUMPLED DOLLAR BILL!
I remember the days when soda pop was sold through machines. It was kinda like magic. Put your nickel in, push the large, unwieldy lever, and the bottle would come out this special hole.
As the years went by, the machines became more sophisticated. Yes, the price went up, but the machines could give change…sometimes! As technology improved, buttons, sensitive to the touch of our fingers, registered our choices and the lever was removed.
Later, aluminum cans came into our lives. They really allowed the soda to get teeth-numbing, instant headaching cold. They wouldn’t break if dropped and were pretty easily recycled. In the little town where I grew up, my brothers and I weren’t allowed to drink from the aluminum soda cans. Our parents thought that from a distance church members and townspeople might mistake our soda cans for beer cans and think we were drinking beer! Of course, beer had come in bottles for decades and we were allowed to drink soda from bottles! Go figger!
Well, one of the latest improvements has come in the form of a slot that allows one to insert a dollar bill and get a drink AND change. Wow! The face plate even has a picture of a dollar bill so we can figure out which side should be up and from which direction the bill should be inserted.
My wife and I recently came back from a couple of weeks of true vacation time. Traveled the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway. We’ve been there many times before, but never cease to be astounded by God’s handiwork. I wish I’d been as astounded by the fruit juice machine from which I tried to get a drink one evening. I only had a single dollar bill. It looked quite smooth to me. I began inserting it only to have it come back out of the slot, kinda like a kid sticking her tongue out because the bananas had seeds!
I kept inserting it; the machine kept rejecting it. After a half hour of this exercise, I felt deep-down sorry for this lone dollar bill. It hadn’t done anything wrong. It wasn’t especially battered or beat up. I was following directions. We were doing our very best!
Of course, my brain began working on this conundrum. I began comparing the experience of my dollar bill and my own life. Sometimes, I feel a lot like that dollar bill. No, I can’t see any visible flaws or failures in my life. However, at times it seems that I don’t quite fit into the slot someone else thinks I should fit into. At times, I feel a bit crumpled, bent, torn, and, yes, rejected. Rejection is the single greatest pain any human being experiences. Although rejection can come from something we do or don’t do, it often comes about through no fault of our own.
As I live my life, I sincerely WANT to go through the slot and produce a refreshing, wholesome experience for someone else. I even want a little change left over so I can meet further needs down the road. There just doesn’t seem to be a plausible explanation when my dollar bill doesn’t work!
In Matt. 11:28, we read, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” A bit crumpled? Somewhat torn and damaged? If we come to Him, He has promised us rest. He’s also promised to put His yoke upon us and help us lighten our burdens, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
(Matthew 11:29, 30)
Paul said, in II Corinthians 4:8, 9, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” It sounds like his dollar bill was a bit battered and bent. However, he was still useful and effective in his work for the Lord.
WHAT LESSONS HAVE I LEARNED
THROUGH THIS EXPERIENCE?
- Persistence doesn’t always pay off — sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t! In this instance, I never got a drink, but next time, maybe I will.
- Whether persistence pays off in a particular situation or not, my effort left me feeling good about giving the problem my best shot.
- We are not living our lives ALONE if we belong to Jesus. He’s promised to be there with us and for us.
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