Devotionals

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I work in a department within the hospital called Sterile Processing; we clean what the surgeons dirty. Of course, when these instruments first come down from surgery they have to be decontaminated and cleaned before being processed for sterilization. We get some instruments from facilities in other locations that arrive in metal carts with a plastic cover.

One evening the plastic covered cart arrives. I don’t pay much attention to it because the items are not a priority for tomorrow. I pass by the cart to check the elevator for more carts - nothing. When I turn my eye catches something green. This is a silver cart with frosty plastic placed over it, green should not register. I focus in and see I have an unauthorized visitor. It was one of those grasshoppers with detailed features; and besides he reminded me of Jimmine Cricket.

I told him, I’m guessing, to stay put and explained that if he moved around I might accidentally step on him. I took a guess that his wiggling antennae indicated that he understood. I went about tending to other pressing matters; checking on him occasionally.

When I had time, I went back to see if I could carry him outside. With persistence, he stubbornly resisted my efforts to help. At one point he leaped over my hand and landed on the floor. Ugh.

The telephone rang indicating the last “dirty cart” for the day had arrived. There’s no way I can keep an eye on him and do my job. As I bring the cart to the sink I get an idea - containment! I’ll use one of the rectangular baskets with the wire mesh bottom to keep him from jumping around.

When I finished and was able to deal with Jimmine I took a look at the rectangular wire mesh basket that contained him. He was hanging from the wire mesh! Perfect. I carry him outside, encourage him to get off, he goes looking for dinner. “Get off now, it’s time to go. Come on, get off. I SAID GO, WILL YA’.” Stubborn grasshopper didn’t seem to know freedom when he saw it!

How much more are we like the grasshopper. We get involved with something we shouldn’t (grasshopper on the cart). Then when God provides a way out (1 Cor 10:13; I try to pick him up) we resist. Either because we don’t recognize the hand of God moving in our lives, or we’ve so rationalized our sinful behavior that we’ve become comfortable with the lifestyle. Then, after resisting the hand of God, He contains us (wire basket over the grasshopper) for our own protection; but we have a tendency to rebel or become stubborn (getting the grasshopper out of the basket) even though He wants to put us in a better place.

I can only hope I’ll learn better next time


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