Cross-Threaded

About a year ago I wrote a blog entry about the nuts and bolts of life. I was recently reminded again of the importance of all this as I was working with a stubborn bolt on the lawn mower. The concept,at least for me, is worth repeating on a regular basis.

Among the many practical inventions of man is the simple nut and bolt combination with threads that allow the nut to tighten down and hold things together. I remember learning the “nuts and bolts” of these gadgets and in the process I found that if you start the nut on the bolt crooked, it becomes cross-threaded. In that state, it will not get tight and will ruin the threads on the bolt. It then requires what is called a “Tap and Dye” set to remake the threads.

The life lesson in this is that some days, we start crooked and get cross-threaded. We get frustrated and attempt to cinch down anyway and find ourselves unable to be of service. Prayer, if done correctly, is a time of allowing God to tap into our stripped threads and re-establish a solid connection. Many people simple walk around in a cross-threaded state and find a lack of joy and peace. They “settle” for the mediocrity of crooked living and do not get much done. As always, the sooner we allow God to repair the situation, the less damage we cause.

The old advice is to “Get our head screwed on straight”. That will not happen outside of an established relationship with Jesus Christ.