Tool Belts and Spiders

by Jackie Shannon

I John 1:5  This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

I love tackling small projects around the house.  There is something rewarding about  fixing something that is broken or seeing a task through to completion and crossing it off the list.  The more challenging the task, the more satisfying it is to cross it off the list.
 
One weekend I decided to put up a ceiling fan in our bedroom.  Before I began, I called my dad, to get a few pointers.  When I was a girl, he taught me how to work with tools and we did many a project around the house together.  The conversation went something like this.
 
 
At about 9:00 a.m. I began the process of installing the fan.   After I’d laid all the pieces out on the bed and collected the tools, I climbed up the ladder and removed the existing light fixture.  Upon removal of the light fixture I realized, to my dismay, that there was no support beam directly above the hole to attach the ceiling fan to.  My dad’s words of wisdom rang through my head about the necessity of attaching the fan to a support beam.  Because my dad is so wise (and the fan is directly over my bed) I heeded his advice.
 
"Ugh." I thought, "This means I have to climb up into the crawl space above the bedroom and try to figure out how to put a 2 x 4 support beam in."
 
A couple of moments later I found myself again at the top of the ladder, but this time I was peering into the darkness of the crawl space above the bedroom, my eyes trying to adjust to the darkness. The overhead light in the crawl space didn’t work, because I had to turn the power off when I took down the light fixture, so I clicked the flashlight on and the ray of the light danced along the rafters as I scanned my future work site.  Since there were no visible bugs, spiders or mice, I convinced myself that I could do this, and I hauled myself up the last three feet into the crawl space and carefully balanced on the beams under my feet. With the light from the flashlight as my guide, I slowly made my way toward the middle of the space, careful to step only on the beams and hoping not to run into any spiders or their webs on my way.
 
In the next hour I was up and down the ladder and across those beams more than a dozen times to make the necessary adjustments, before I finally nailed the new support beam into place.  When I work on projects, my mind tends to naturally sort out and clarify the things going on in my life. (I tend to "write in my head" during these times.)  As I worked, three parallels of my Christian life and my task at hand came to mind.
 
First, I realized how dependent I was on the light from the flashlight in order to walk safely across the beams and avoid harm. I thought about the verse that says God is Light and in Him there is no darkness.  How many times in life have I been unable to see my way, and I have gone to Him in prayer, and He has led me.  I have had some pretty dark days, and if it wasn’t for His light I’m not sure how I could have made it.
 
Second, I realized how dependent I was on my tools to complete my task.   Around my waist was a tool belt.  Each time I needed something to complete a task, I’d reach down into the tool belt and grab what I needed.   This reminded me of God’s Word.  I thought of how many times I had been in situations and a verse I had memorized came immediately to my mind to help at that moment.
 
Third, I realized how difficult it was to tackle such a project by myself.  Could I do it?  Yes.  But I thought how much easier it would have been (and perhaps more fun!) to do that project with someone else.  How fewer mistakes and trips up and down the ladder would I have made if I had someone there to help me.  This is true in my life as well.  I thought of the special people who have helped me along the way.  Who were there for my ups and prayed with me in my downs.  Who cried with me, but could also made make me laugh.  I could make it in life without them, on some level, but it’s a whole lot better with them by my side.
 
Four and a half hours later (not one), I stood in the bedroom looking up at the ceiling fan with my hand on the wall switch.  The moment of truth had come.  I flipped the switch and the blades of the fan slowly began to turn.  I let out a holler of joy, fell onto the bed, tool belt still on, and enjoyed the breeze. Painting the hall would have to wait for another day!   With great satisfaction, I mentally crossed the ceiling fan off my list.
 
John 8:12  Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world:  he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Jackie Shannon has a master’s degree in Human Services from Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA with an emphasis in counseling women and a bachelor’s degree in education. Jackie has been a part of women’s ministry for the past 15 years serving in various capacities including facilitating grief/counseling groups for women, teaching, writing curriculum, and leading women’s events.
 
Jackie resides in Massachusetts with her family.  She is an adjunct instructor in the College of Professional Studies graduate program at Northeastern University in Boston, MA and working toward her Doctoral Degree at Northeastern University.  She is president of Soul Care for Women (soulcare4women.com), a ministry that focuses on spiritual and emotional wellbeing.   She can be reached at Jackie@soulcare4women.com.