I Have A Problem

By Randy Knapp

All my life I’ve solved problems. I’ve conquered obstacles by sheer determination and perseverance.

My wife called me last week complaining of a computer glitch. She described the symptoms, and I was able to talk her through the steps to solve it.

Someone at my church called me about difficulties with the video system. I went in early Saturday morning and in an hour had the problem solved and everything working smoothly.

My son called me about mechanical trouble with the pick-up he had borrowed from me. Something was wrong with the front axles. In less than a minute I discovered the predicament and resolved it.

It may seem like I’m bragging, but in reality I’m a helpless man looking for hopeless solutions to problems that I’ll likely be unable to solve.

Both of my sons are nearing the age of twenty. They are deeply in love, each with a truly remarkable young woman. The problem is that my sons and the young women are still too young to get married. I understand this, but they won’t listen to my advice.

At church, I work with teenagers. I listen to their problems. I tell them that they are in too much of a hurry to grow up. They are kind and pretend to listen to me, but when they leave church they stumble back into shallow relationships and life-destroying habits. They just don’t understand that their lives would be so much better if they would simply follow my advice.

That’s not the worst of it. I’m a bit overweight. I know that I need to eat better and exercise more. I used to be a very competent financial manager, but I’ve lost a step or two and I haven’t even reconciled my checkbook for years. I love my wife deeply, but I continually fall short of demonstrating my love to her in practical ways.

I know how to solve these problems. Take more time to plan what I eat. Go for a walk each day. Sit down at the computer at night and enter the amounts of money I spend. Slow my busy life for a few minutes each day and think of something special to do or say to my wife to show her that I’m thinking of her.

Despite knowing all this, I rarely seem to “get ‘er done.” I won’t even follow my own advice, so why should I expect anyone else to listen to me?

I think I know a little of what God must feel. He lays out a perfect plan for us to live by. All we have to do is follow His advice and life will go better. Maybe my problems will be solved if I stop trying to fix them myself and learn to follow His lead. Instead of giving advice to my sons, my wife, and my youth class, we’d all be better off if we thought a little less about me and focused our attention solely on His way of life.

Problem solved.

Randy writes from Medford, OR. You can contact him at knappsnest@msn.com