GLUING PROBLEMS BACK TOGETHER
Yang Fu, curator of Wu Wei City Museum in China, was transporting a box containing a two-thousand-year-old wooden turtle dove when the bottom fell out of the container. The artifact, a treasure from the Han Dynasty, fell to the floor, breaking its beak. Rather than reporting the damage, Yang stuck the broken part back together with ordinary glue. Later, the crack was discovered and Yang was fired.
At times we’ve all been guilty of attempting to glue our problems back together, rather than facing the consequences of a mistake. We want a quick fix—a Band-Aid—and then move on, pretending it’s all behind us.
Consider King David who committed adultery with Bathsheba. Her husband, Uriah, was away at war, so when she discovered her pregnancy, it left no doubt that David was the father. The consequences were huge. Like most politicians, David initiated a cover-up. And like most politicians, the cover-up was worse than the crime. The king whom God had labeled “a man after my own heart” murdered Uriah. David tried to stick glue over the problem, which compounded his sin enormously.
It’s easy to do. We face financial woes. Rather than making lifestyle adjustments, we stick glue on the problem with “retail therapy.” Our marriage is suffering. Instead of asking, “What’s my part?”, it’s easier to finger-point. Same with anger, lust, gossip, or jealousy. Short-term, it’s simpler to stay stuck in those habits than to deal with character flaws.
What’s the solution? For starters, we can ask for honest feedback from others and listen to their input. If more than one person delivers the same message, we might want to seriously consider what they’re saying. And when the Holy Spirit convicts us, pay attention. And then… simply repent.
When my grandson Liam was younger, he came to me with a splinter in his finger. I grabbed a sewing needle and tweezers, to dislodge the wooden irritant. Spying my surgical instruments, he shook his head. He pointed to a Band-Aid and whimpered, “That.” Like Liam, we want to stick a Band-Aid over our troubles, rather than dig deeper into the root cause. And like the museum curator, we discover that quick fixes generally don’t work.
Of course, we can always continue in the direction we’re heading, rather than deal with our issues. But sooner or later, we’ll end up with a broken beak.
Principle: Rather than covering up our problems, we need to deal with them openly.
Ponder:
When have you been guilty of “sticking glue” over your problems?
In what area of life do you need to dig a little deeper into a problem and uncover its root cause?
Pursue: For a deeper dive, study 2 Samuel 11.
Prayer: Lord God, thank you for showing me the importance of dealing with the root causes of problems in my life. Help me to have the courage to bring them into the light, and face them head-on.
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