https://proverbs31.org/read/devotions/full-post/2024/11/07/but-what-if-you-could?utm_campaign=Daily%20Devotions&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--BwNyFHL8n78jBx9d4lyzsGJp5GOWiYDvHRdVPu3T-hB0Trw0bE5UTaP_Hbjr1jHix_PpwWgAd6marF_rN8XxI0vGm0g&_hsmi=330719416&utm_content=330719416&utm_source=hs_email#disqus_threadBut What if You Could?
November 7, 2024
by Lysa TerKeurst, President and Chief Visionary Officer of Proverbs 31 Ministries
“Return to your rest, my soul, for the LORD has been good to you.” Psalm 116:7 (CSB)
It was just a broken ice maker. It wasn’t a catastrophic event. I was safe. I was in a good place. And I was looking forward to spending a few days on vacation. But when the ice maker broke at the beach house we were staying in, I started spiraling. I was having an out-of-proportion reaction to the minor situation in front of me. And when that happens, I know it’s not just about the thing. It’s all the other things attached to this thing. I can’t fix this thing! And I can’t find a repairman. And even if I do find someone to help me, what if a part has to be ordered?
And what if that part is on back order? Or worse yet, what if it can’t be fixed? Now here I am with another broken thing, and there’s nothing I can do about it!
I’m usually very “go with the flow.” But not this day. About the third time I said out loud, “I can’t fix this ice maker!”
I stopped myself, and five words popped into my head. But what if I could?
What if I try to fix it?
What’s the worst thing that could happen it breaks?
It’s already broken. I rolled my eyes at the absurdity of what I was about to attempt. I Googled “how to fix an ice maker.” It was too general of a search, bringing up way too many options and way too many written instructions. Then I decided to look on YouTube, and I narrowed my search with the name of the fridge. I watched the video several times. I opened the freezer. And no joke I did it! I fixed that ice maker! You would have thought I just climbed Mount Everest or finished running a marathon based on my victory dance around that kitchen! I know this is a whole lot of drama around what should have been just an everyday aggravation. But isn’t this where a lot of us fall apart?
It’s that last little broken thing, put on top of all the hurt we’re carrying, that breaks us wide open and leaks out another flood of tears. It was never really about the ice maker. It was a moment of resilience I could see, touch and celebrate. This resilience was tangible evidence that I was healing, growing, and moving forward by trying new things. Most of all, it was a moment when I didn’t succumb to the limitations of living hurt. I’ve written in my journal so many times, “Just because I’ve been hurt doesn’t mean I have to live hurt.”
That’s easy to write. Hard to live out. That day in the kitchen, I fixed that ice maker in a rebellious act of resilience. And I knew this was going to be an important part of getting unstuck and moving forward. For me, two words that indicate stuckness are “can’t” and “don’t.” I can’t deal with this. I can’t do this. I can’t trust people. I can’t fix this. I can’t change. I don’t think this is ever going to get better. I don’t want to try. I don’t believe it’s possible. I don’t think God has a good plan for me. I don’t want to hope again. Now, please lean in close here. If we don’t tend well to this kind of broken processing, our can’ts and don’ts will turn into won’ts.
I won’t do this.
I won’t trust people.
I won’t fix this.
I won’t change.
I won’t try.
I won’t believe.
I won’t trust that God has a good plan.
I won’t hope again.
Healing is layered and can be complicated. It takes time to process and move forward from heartbreak, betrayal and broken trust … probably more time than any of us want it to take. But by listening for our “I can’ts” and “I don’ts” and making sure they don’t turn into “I won’ts,” we can see significant progress today. Build our resilience muscles today. Prove today that being brave is not always something we feel — it’s something we do.
Let’s resist fear and anxiety and come into alignment with truth today, like Psalm 116:7: “Return to your rest, my soul, for the LORD has been good to you.”
Friend, you don’t have to fix an ice maker, but don’t miss an opportunity to overcome an “I can’t” or “I don’t” today. Maybe try using some new words … I am willing to try. Maybe I can find someone who can teach me. This is an opportunity for me to be brave. But what if I could?
