purpose driven dryer

(originally posted 2/7/10)

We all use, each and everyday, a variety of utensils and appliances that were invented to do one specific task and do it well. Just think about it...your washer and dryer, blender, coffee pot, hair dryer, curling iron, toaster and dishwasher...they all do one task and they do it better than we could do without them! Imagine washing clothes before the good ol' washing machine or making coffee from raw beans over an open flame! YIKES! I don't know how today's society would survive! Me included! Our lives have been made better by each of these gadgets and we as humans have been able to cram so much more into one day because of them! Right!?!? Well, just imagine with me now that over time, over years and years one, or all, of these appliances slowly lost interest in their assigned duty. What if slowly your dryer stopped drying your clothes? Sure, at first you'd have to set it to run for 40 minutes instead of 30 to get your clothes completely dry but before too long you find that you are running your loads a full 2 cycles and progressively after that you find that you are hanging your heavier laundry items, like towels and jeans, out on the line because your dryer just can't seem to handle them anymore. Or what if your hair dryer suddenly stopped forcing enough air through and what air did come through wasn't hot anymore, it was merely warm and even turned cold at some point. You might notice a slight change at first but say to yourself "well, it still works" but before too long you either have to replace the hair dryer or let your hair air dry. Now, let's imagine one step further and pretend that one day you go out to put a very limited number of items into your clothes dryer (as, remember, it will not dry much at a time these days) and as you open the dryer to place your damp clothes in, your dryer speaks to you and says "Why am I here? What was I created for?" I know, it seems farfetched but just imagine with me! If that really happened I imagine that I would, and I know you would too, probably start laughing! Laughing really loud in fact! What a silly question. "Well, look at you!" You might say. "You're a dryer! You dry clothes..." It's so obvious right?? You couldn't use your dryer to toast bread or your curling iron to wash clothes. That's crazy talk!!

Lesson Learned? Each of our modern day appliances is wired for a very specific purpose. We don't have one "do-it-all" tool. No! We have many tools that do many different things but each as a specific purpose! God created us the exact same way! It seems ridiculous to think that a dryer would ask us why it was created. I mean, look at it! It has heat settings, an on and off button, a large barrel opening to hold lots of clothes...what else could it possibly do??? Sometimes I imagine that God must look down on us and just chuckle to himself as we wander around this life asking "Why am I here? What was I created for?" Remember when you were first saved? Remember when you were "fresh out of the box" so to speak? You were so excited to serve Christ. You told everyone who would listen (and some who wouldn't) about the change God had made in your life. You volunteered for everything at your church and showed up for every event. You were usually the first one to each service and the last one to leave. You dove deeply into praise and worship each and every time and read your Bible daily. You didn't just talk the talk but you walked the walk! Just like the tools of today, we as humans were created for and wired for a very specific purpose. When you were first saved I bet you didn't worry too much about what you were "called to do" day in and day out! You just got up and followed God everyday. You didn't think too far into what God would have you to do. Right?? I believe that just like appliances, over time, we as humans and as Christians begin to lose our luster for the savior. We begin to forget our purpose and no longer perform our specific tasks up to par. We begin to feel like what we're wired to do isn't so exciting anymore and we over think our purpose. Don't over think it!! We were created to please God! We were created to make God happy! We were created to worship! Sure, God gave us many talents. Some of us teach, some of us cook, some of us socialize, some of us sing...there's a thousand talents and giftings that God has placed within each and every one of us that we use here on this Earth for His glory!! But what are we wired for? What are we created for? TO WORSHIP HIM!!! We all struggle in this life to find our purpose and to find our niche and to know what God wants us to do with the time we are given here and, don't misunderstand me, I totally agree that we each have a story to be written in our lives and God has a plan for each of us...but when all else fails don't lose hope. If you don't know where you're going, what you're doing or even where you are right now in your relationship with Christ or in the grand scheme of your christian walk, DO NOT get overwhelmed!! Just step back, take a breath and rely on what you know for sure...you were created to worship the King of Kings and when you do that God will take care of all your other needs and concerns! God's word promises in Matthew 6:33 "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well." Don't freak out if you don't know what you're going to be doing in 10 years...what does it matter really!? Just know that today, in this moment you are here and you are wired to worship! God craves your worship! Give Him the praise He's due! 

My Wednesday night pastor, Robby, said something a couple weeks ago that I wrote in my Bible and have re-read many times since and it was this "Try tomorrow to be CRAZY IN LOVE with Jesus...and everything else will take care of itself." Does it sound easy...sure! Is it easy...not so much! It's hard for us to not over think things. Believe me I'M ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE!!! But we must work on it! On the other hand, if you have already found your purpose, if you know beyond a shadow of a doubt what you were created for and you are living that out each day in your life DON'T let your purpose become boring! On the days that your calling feels more like a punishment just remember that God honors the faithful! If dryers really did have personalities would they at some point look at the microwave and say to themselves "I wish I could heat food and not dry clothes..." Probably. But that doesn't make the dryers duty of drying clothes any less important or needed! Your purpose is important! It's just as important 20 years down the road as it was the first most exciting day you entered into it! The lesson I am learning right now and the one I want to pass on to you is as simple as this blog post...WORSHIP! Love God with all you have! Be CRAZY IN LOVE with Jesus and just watch as everything else takes care of itself and falls into place! Don't look as ridiculous as the dryer would if it asked you "why it's here"...just relax, do what you're wired to do and love the Lord!