Refusing to Throw In the Towel

A few days ago my son-in-law Kevin and I tore my front-loading dryer apart, literally.  The night before I was leaving for DC last month, I was finishing up laundry for the trip. All of the sudden the dryer started smoking profusely, filling my entire house.  Luckily my first instinct was to unplug it. There was nothing I could do as my flight left at 8:00am the next morning.  After my return from DC, we attempted to diagnose the dryer problem. Kevin unscrewed the bottom panel of the dryer only to find a TON of burned lint that had probably caught fire. Kevin figured out the problem and I ordered the part to fix it.  He came over a few days ago to attempt the repair.  We got the new drum seal on, put it all back together, and then prayed the problem was solved.  After he left, I stuck a towel in to see if it was back to working.  No such luck!  I kept getting an error code and found out (via www.managemylife.com) I needed a new thermostat. I am determined to fix this myself, so ordered the part yesterday.  Then last night after ending my work day, I walked into my bedroom and glanced at the thermostat outside my bedroom door.  It said 80 degrees.  Yes, my air conditioner stopped working and it's summer in Florida. If it isn't one thing, it's another, right? So I flipped all the breakers twice to reset it hoping to fix the problem.  It didn't.  Exasperated by all the failing electronics in my house, I walked to the kitchen to make dinner, praying out loud, "Lord, please let my air conditioner work!"  It's extremely expensive to have an A/C person make a house call, let alone fix any problems.  I decided to leave the worrying to Jesus. Hours later I went to my bedroom for something and guess what?  My air conditioner was working!  Praise Jesus! In life, there is always going to be something malfunctioning, but throwing in the towel isn't the answer.

In todays first reading (Acts 22:30, 23:6-11), St. Paul was brought in front of the whole Sanhedrin to defend his spreading the Word of Christ. The crowd was split on their belief of resurrection, angels and spirits. One group didn't believe in any of it.  The other group believed in all three.  You can imagine the uproar.  After surviving another day, the Lord had this to say to St. Paul:

The following night the Lord stood by him and said, "Take courage. For just as you have borne witness to my cause in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness in Rome."

We can learn so much from Scripture.  St. Paul could have said to the Lord, "Look, I tried my best and they just won't listen. Let's just throw in the towel and cut our losses." But he didn't.  He did exactly as Jesus asked.  He picked up his cross and persevered.

In the October 2006 Monthly Message, Jesus assures us if we resist throwing in the towel, we will ultimately triumph:

"Dearest apostles, so brave, I am with you. I do not tell you that you will be overcome. I do not tell you that you have been given work that is impossible for you to complete. Those messages do not come from Me. Instead, I tell you that you will persevere and ultimately triumph. Our mission of mercy does not falter, even though the steps of my little apostles sometimes falter. This mission pushes through the world with a steadiness that defies all attempts against it. My apostles experience fear at times. This is not a problem for Me or this mission. Fear is to be expected. Bring your fear to Me and explain to Me exactly what threatens you. If you do this, I can remove your fear. I will convince you that in My presence, with My power, everything is possible. You have an expectation of your little boat crashing against the rocks. I will never allow this. If I am steering the boat that is your work, you will be carried safely. Push on into each day with courage, understanding that while you may not be able, I am able. You may lack courage, but I have courage. You sometimes walk in darkness, but I have the light with which to see exactly where your footsteps are taking you. Dear apostles, it is a time for hard work, yes, but a time for great glory, also. Rejoice. I am with you."

Thank you, Lord, for pushing me to never give up despite malfunctions in life.  I trust You in everything.  But, can I please request no more electronic failures for a while? ;-)

God bless,

Bonnie