The Check-Out Line

My long and often painful journey into computer living took an interesting twist yesterday at our local library. The staff taught me how to check out my own books. 

‘It is easy” says the librarian. “Scan your card here. Put five books at a time on there. Take the receipt.”  And I do and it is.

“This is so much easier than the grocery store scanners,” I say.

“Oh they aren’t so bad if you are doing packaged items, she grins, “but once you throw a banana into the mix, it’s over!”

I know. I’ve tried to scan those irregular, unlabelled items but they make the grocery computer machine beep out frustration. Thankfully an attendant waits nearby to help me make sense of it all. She deals with all those ‘out-of-the-box items.

Neat, regular boxes of life, cartons of barcoded soap and cereal, safely cross our life scanners too. We know what to expect of them. We waltz through our daily grind and take it all in stride. But if some irregular or untidy produce shows up it’s over.

A job loss, a separation, an illness, a death, may toss us into the sea of fear. Our heart cries out that it cannot deal with any unexpected awfuls.

But our Life Attendent, Jesus Christ, stands by, ready to help us face them. Philippians 4:13 does not say “I can do all things.”  It says “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Philippians 4:13-I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency] (AMP).

Philippians 4:13-Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am (MSG).

Prayer: Lord when our scanner is beeping, give us the sense to go to you immediately. Remind us never to scan fear, anger or doubt into our hearts when we can have peace. In Jesus’ name. Amen

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