“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord.” Luke 2:11
There is a phrase used by many craftsman, weekend warriors, housewives and even lazy people. “If you can’t fix it with duct tape, you need more duct tape.” Now I have to be honest and tell you that for a long time I didn’t know the spelling of the word “duct” and always wondered why a person named “duck” would use his own name, because many people might wonder why tape was needed for those geese and ducks flying south in the winter. Then I realized it used for air duct sealing.
Her name is Vesta Stoudt, and she is a woman who worked in a factory in Illinois’s during World War Two, and she noticed a flaw in the boxes of ammunition boxes. The way they were made and wrapped in paper actually allowed water to enter the box and ruin the ammo. To keep the boxes dry, the soldiers would dip the boxes in wax. This kept the ammo dry but completely made getting the ammo a hassle and a mess.
She had two sons in the military and that caused her to want them to have clean and dry access to the ammo that was needed and so she worked on ideas. When she finished developing the idea, she presented it to her supervisor, who said it was not a good idea. What a bummer.
She was convinced and decided to go a little higher in her appeal. She actually sent a letter and a sample to the president of the United States. No messing around, she took the problem all the way to the top. The President approved the idea.
Today duct tape is used by the military and is also used all over the world by many for incredible repairs. In the military it is used to fix tents, boots, and make repairs. It is still used in construction and HVAC installation and repairs. Kids fix baseball gloves, bicycles, and built forts with the stuff. College kids tape their friends to the wall and take pictures of their creativity, and engineering classes try and make floating boats.
Duct tape is amazing, but the point of this story is the appeal of Vesta to the highest office imaginable. So, do we do that? Do we spend more time looking at YouTube videos, owners manuals of our cars, talking to friends who really don’t know anything about our real desires and dilemmas or do we go to the Maker of Heaven and earth. Do we approach the Almighty, His Majesty and lay ideas, dreams, and pains at His feet - and then trust Him?
This one who was born in the manger is the highest of all, the greatest of all and to Him we should speak. When we seek elsewhere, we are saying to God, “I trust others more than I trust you,” and in so doing we miss out on His power, wisdom and presence - which is all encompassing.
Thank you Jesus for Your birth and giving us a way unlimited authority.
