I have a fondness for TV shows and movies that deal with all types of disasters. I am not sure what keeps me looking—maybe it is the shock value of the disaster or maybe it is watching those going through it come to resolution. Either way, it is the direction I turn to when my busy schedule allows for some screen time.
I especially like shows about emergency responders. The events they deal with are beyond complicated. I have great respect for them and the things they endure. Since privacy doesn’t really allow them opportunity to tell their stories, a screen is as close as I will get to hearing them, even if they are more dramatized than normal. One particular story taught me once again that God can use anything to teach us. This time He used manhole covers.
On a Saturday night, I settled in for an episode or two. I could not help but laugh out loud at the scene playing out before me. A call to a car accident left emergency responders running for cover as one after another manhole covers went flying into the air from underground explosions. I watched one character run into the thick of it, unsure if he thought he was a hero or if he was just not real bright. I stared in disbelief as he threw his arms in the air like he was going to catch it. Hmm. Probably not. I am not a scholar in this kind of thing, but I am pretty sure those thick metal discs are heavy enough to hurt someone for the last time. How heavy are they?
I looked it up.
According to my friend Google, a standard manhole cover can weigh 250 pounds. Wow. That is a heavy thing to try and catch. Common sense says that is not going to turn out so good. Yet there is always that one that is going to run out and try to catch it when it is obvious the best thing to do is take cover.
I am that one.
When problems hit, my first response is to catch it and fix it. I run around, arms in the air trying to keep all the people from getting hurt and all the things from getting broken, a task that is not only impossible but also not my job. I am unsure if I think I am going to save the day or if I am not very bright, but all the while the good Lord is shouting “take cover” while I run around and try to do His job for Him.
Some things are not mine to catch. Like manhole covers. Like other people’s problems. Like grief that consumes me. Like heartache I hold on to. Like betrayal and anger. These are meant to be handed over to one who can carry that heavy load. He already knows it is impossible for me to carry alone and waits for me to realize it. In John chapter 11, Jesus offers us this hope as He reminds us that He has already got it handled. He’s got this. God already set it up that way so we could surrender our attempts to catch things that are too heavy for us. He is begging us to take cover. When we don’t, it just might be a disaster.
What manhole cover are you trying to catch today?
Lord, today help me to remember that I don’t have to handle this alone. Continue to prompt me to allow you to carry the things that weigh upon me and are too heavy for me to catch or carry. I am thankful you give me a place of refuge to take cover within.
