The flimsy measuring tape.

I am a tool.

I had a chance to measure some things over the holidays. For instance, we need a new bathtub due too the stains, from the previous owner, coming through the bathtub paint. Note to self, next time we buy a house beware of the painted bathtub trick. Anyways, I was trying to measure the dimensions and what not, but my measuring tape was too flimsy for a half way accurate measurement. I was slinging that deal everywhere and almost sliced my finger off. Its frustrating to use a tool that loses its integrity. Its just weak period

This is the reason I am a tool. For those of you who do not know the popular phrase for people who miss the target and hit the gallery is "a tool" or people who bleed maroon and want to send a legend to an early grave (followed by claps and whoops) is a pretty good defintion of "a tool".

I could'nt get an accurate measurement of what I needed this Christmas. I felt like a product of my experience. The only thing I could do was try and stay as focused as possible. It was a tough though I kept bending and flopping.

My family and I watched and listened in on this Christmas Eve program at the local Church. When the communion came around my older brother gave my 3 yr old daughter a cracker from the passing tray, which triggered me having to give my son a cracker. Then the dominoes began to fall because who can eat a dry flour tablet without something to wash it down. When the juice got passed, there was not hardly any of the half shot glasses of grape juice left, so I had to give my juice to my son and luckily my daughter got distracted coloring with the golf pencil on the tithe envelope. Not long after, and about an hour and a half into the show the kids and parents were praying for Christmas to be over, or at least the Parents were. The kids just want Santa. Productions are so overrated when you have a three year old packed in a pue for over an hour. To make a long story shorter, the reason I am a tool is... I sit and make fun of these hanus productions year after and year without doing my part. Majority of these places do horrible jobs of creating places for a community to gather around together and celebrate the reason.

My new years resolution is take my flimsy tool and restore it. I may be "a tool" and miss the mark frequently. Its just time to stop making fun of a lack of integrity in other people tools and use my tool. My Pastor friend told me the other day that I was frustrated b/c I was not using my gift. He said, "People have tools that God gives them and when you don't use them, you get frustrated."

I guess I need a tool to help me take the big a** plank out of my eye.

Our bodies get old and our thoughts can seem to bend and flop. In the same way, in our youth, we may not be experienced or knowledgeable enough to use our tool. All the while Jesus promised us he would restore the world and would make all things new.

We are His tools, unlike my mesuring tape he can restore our integrity in exchange for our devotion to His work... His kingdom... His plan.

We are His tools, and He gives us wisdom, strength, and knowledge beyond our age.

I want to be His tool. I will probably be called "a tool", hopefully just like Noah or Job or David or Shadrach or all of His other tools.