A bike lock doesn't look like much - it certainly doesn't look like much of an obstacle, until it is. We were just about done moving Erika's stuff out of her apartment, and there was one object yet to be loaded into the truck: Her bike. Unfortunately, she wasn't there, and she didn't know where the key was, so Mike pulled out a grinder and set to work on the lock. Like I said, a bike lock doesn't look like much. At a glance, it seems like a couple of good, hard yanks should be sufficient to release the chain and lock. Not so much. After a couple of minutes with the grinder (and several askew glances from the residents going in and out of the apartment building), we had freed the bike and were on our way.
Many people pray for chains to be broken. Sometimes, it is a chain of addiction. Sometimes, it is a generational chain to be broken. Sometimes, it is a chain on habituation. Sometimes, it is a chain of a default emotion, such as fear or anger.
I am one of those people who pray about chains. Many years ago, I prayed for a chain to be broken. There have been many mornings since that I have prayed the same prayer. . .and then expressed the same frustration. The movement that I expected to be in one direction ended up going in the opposite direction. This morning could have been one of those mornings, but I actually laughed out loud instead.
I should have known better. This is what made me laugh, not derisively, but with something on the precipice of joy.
First, let's get one thing straight: God. Answers. Prayer. Since He knows our hearts - to the very whisper of our true motivations - He very clearly knows when our prayers are God-honoring and when they are self-serving. With regard to the former, I see Him high-five me and exclaim, "I got this!" in my mind's eye. It's the "how" and "when" to answering those prayers that He has complete creative license. Sometimes, our prayers are answered in the way we want, or as we expected. Sometimes, they are answered completely opposite to what we want or expected. ALL the time, the answers are in the best, correct, and only way. And NEVER are those prayers ignored. He knows the right moment, and that is exactly when they will be answered.
Now, back to the chain. Breaking a chain is not an easy task. Duh. The bike example is proof positive of that. It required the correct tool. It requires the correct amount (and often, it's a lot) of pressure, and it requires patience. That chain and lock have been designed to hold. Thus, neither is going to give way very easily. As a result, the breaking process may take multiple efforts and methods, not just a one-time pass.
This is also what has happened with my prayers. Multiple passes. Multiple efforts. How presumptuous of me to think it would be a once and done. Not that it couldn't. God is fully capable of a once and done. But in my case, God knows me, and He knows my arrogant, independent, I-can-do-it-myself heart. Too soon, and I might risk taking the credit, celebrating "my" success." I don't blame Him for letting me face-plant my ego and skin the knees of my heart. Quite the opposite, I applaud His method and appreciate His foresight. Good parents let their kids experience consequences. Too late have I realized that it's not the consequence itself that is important; it is how one (the child) processes the consequence that is most important, as it provides the means of character development (and if necessary, change in character).
Each time the chain holds, I have to re-group and come at the problem with a new approach and renewed energy. Like Thomas Edison, I have not failed. I have discovered another way that doesn't work. This is where the idea of finding the right tool comes in. THAT ONE didn't work. Now I need to find/try a new one.
And this is what made me smile this morning. Through each failure, my heart is changing as well. Each failure requires me to come back to the drawing board (God's Word). More self-evaluation (through reflection and time spend in prayer). More humility. Patience and pressure will eventually pop the lock, break the link. Breaking a chain is like a weight loss plan, you need a strong "why," consistency, and the right tools, environment and people for it to work.
If it honors God, the chains will be broken, no doubt about that.
The pressure is on.
It might hurt. It will cause fatigue. It will be frustrating, but keep going. Keep going.
Keep going.
