The Pickle Jar

                        

                       Have you ever gotten frustrated while trying to help someone? For example, let's say I'm trying to open a jar of pickles. For the sake of this example, pretend you are a professional pickle jar opener. Now, how would you feel if I spent my whole day trying to open the jar by myself and I couldn't. How would you feel if you saw my crying, screaming, yelling because I couldn't get the darn jar open? Imagine if I spent every single day of the week trying to open the jar but I could't and I knew you could help me, what would be going through your mind?  I don't know about you, but if I saw someone struggling especially if it is someone I care about, I would try to reach out to the person and help. If the person didn't want me to help him or her open the jar, I would feel very frustrated with the desire to just snatch the jar out of their hands and open it. Right? But let's say I tell you, you can help me open the jar, but you have to open it while my arms are wrapped around it. Will you be able to open it? No, because I'm not giving you the jar so you can open it. What I am trying to get at with all this? This is how we are many times. A lot of us go through so many battles every day. We may carry a depression since we were little kids, we may be seeing our parents at the point of divorce, you might have a problem dealing with your aggression or anger, you might have hate towards someone, maybe you have so many problems in your love life, etc. We each have our battle we deal with everyday. Imagine God's frustration seeing us crying, yelling, hurting ourselves, feeling lost, when He is right there with the solution. Imagine how God feels when He loves us so much and He sees us miserable and torn to pieces. God is right there, saying "Let me help you. You don't have to suffer. My son suffered already in your place". Sometimes we may even say, "Well, I asked God to help me, but nothing happens". Read this part again:

"But let's say I tell  you, you can help me open the jar, but you have to open it while my arms are wrapped around it".

Sometimes, if not many, we say we want God's help to overcome a problem, but were not willing to hand him the jar. Or we hand him the jar, but we don't let it go. God is willing to help us, but the problem is we want to be helped our way. If you want God to help you resolve that problem you have been dealing with for so long, then make a decision. Remember, all of us have barriers, but most of the time, the biggest barrier is ourselves.