Power went out at home the other day. I had spent the morning cleaning out my basement workroom, removing several years of leftover materials from building the apartment in the lower level. I had lots of great stuff I knew I would never use all boxed up to take to Oddz & Endz and then the lights went out.
It was mid-morning, so the sun shone brightly through the sliding glass doors that lead to the deck at the top of the stairs. I decided I could see well enough to bring all the boxes upstairs and begin to load them in the car. So, I did. I got everything loaded, got on my jacket, picked up my keys, went back out the door to the garage, turned just to the right and hit the garage door opener button.
You’ve done that too, haven’t you? Don’t deny it. You’ve tried to turn on the light switch, or go check your email, or one of a hundred other activities that are power dependent even when you know the power is out. I just shook my head at my foolishness and went and pulled the manual release on the garage door and opened the door by hand. I backed out, closed the door (by hand), and then proceeded with my errand.
I was gone long enough to assume the power was restored by the time I got home. I pulled in the driveway, pushed the remote button, and . . . nothing. I got out of the van and pushed the remote button again, just in case. I could hear the opener motor running, so I knew there was power and the opener was working. The sliding carrier was, however, not catching the door lever latch. No latch, no effect.
I opened the door by hand and drove the van into the garage, and then I tried to get the slide to catch the latch. I pulled. I pushed. I prayed. I pulled and pushed some more. Finally, on the coldest day of the year so far, I decided to go in and try again later.
Later came and went. Lucy the Yorkie had to make her outdoor trips downstairs to the back yard for two days because I could not figure out how to get that manual release spring to reset the latch. And then, Sunday morning, as I lifted the door again to take the van and Linda to church, I saw the little red handle at the end of the string that connects to the manual release pin touching the top of the van and realized, “It’s never done that before.” And then I noticed there is a small locking handle that the string is tied to that when I pushed it went sideways and the little red handle didn’t touch the roof of the van any more. Could it really be that simple?
Yes. It was. Pulling on the release string unlocks the latch and the lock has to be reset in order for the latch to engage and the door opener to work. There is only one way for the whole system to accomplish the thing I desired: to open the door and let me in or out. That lock had to be in the right position. Success depended on that one piece information. I wish someone had told me sooner. Just think of the time and energy and effort I wasted when I could have been doing more productive things. If only someone had told me the “one way” I needed to know…
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Despite the desires and claims of a pluralistic and diverse culture, Jesus, the Son of God, announces there is only one way to encounter God and that is through Jesus Himself, through faith in Him, who He is and what He came to do.
You can push all the religion and spirituality buttons you want to. You can be conservative or liberal. You can be spiritual, agnostic, or atheist. You can be evangelical or liturgical or fundamental or progressive. You can adopt any political, social, cultural, or philosophical position you choose, but the only way to God, according to God Himself, is through Jesus Christ.
There was only one way to reset the garage door opener. I wish someone had told me. There is only one way to God. I just told you. Now you know. You going to keep pushing those spiritual buttons and hope your metaphorical door goes up, or are you going to trust Jesus as the way?
You can have a relationship with God. Jesus is the way. That’s the good news.
Each month a member of the Cook County Ministerium will offer Spiritual Reflections. Pastor Dale McIntire has served as pastor of the Cornerstone Community Church in Grand Marais since April of 1995.
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