Opening Pickle Jars

I remember as a child when my mother would often come to my father with a large jar of dill pickles in hand. “Would you open this?” she would ask. I watched as Dad strained with his attempts to open the jar but the lid wouldn’t budge. He would then pass it over to me and say, “Vickie, you try.” I also strained but just a bit as the lid turned and I proudly pushed the now open jar back to my mother. Do you know, I was nearly fully grown before it dawned on me that Dad was always loosening the lids for me. I asked him about it with a laugh. He smiled and said, “You were always so happy that you could open those jars. It made me happy just watching you.” It’s no different with our Heavenly Father.

There are times in all of our lives when we feel what I call, the holy nudge. We sense the Lord leading us in a certain direction, but we feel scared and unprepared. Perhaps it’s something we have never done before. Maybe an opportunity of service to God in our church or community comes across our path. We feel ill equipped to even try. It could be a character flaw that the Holy Spirit has brought to our attention. We need to give Him our anger issues or our fears but we know we can’t do it. It’s in those moments we must remember — we can’t but He can. You and I can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).

Is Father leading you to do something today, to tackle an obstacle, to tread upon a path you have never gone down before? Please remember, in Christ you are never alone. He is forever loosening the jar lids of life so you can go forth in victory, having opened them, not in your strength, but in His power which never fails.