Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us… – Ephesians 5:1-2

This is a fun photograph. I’m guessing right away that the first thing you notice is how shiny the refrigerator is. You should have seen it fifteen minutes previously, it looked terrible!

If you think I’m going to say I cleaned it, that’s not it! But what did happen is pretty funny.

I had tried to polish it up, pulling out the stainless-steel cleaner and following directions perfectly. But the smudge I was aiming to get rid of grew, and then I noticed striations that looked like scratches. So I rubbed harder and then both the doors looked blotchy and awful.

I was about to call the manufacturer and complain when I noticed what looked like a straight line running along the edge of one of the doors. The truth suddenly dawned on me. I had never removed the protective skin-tight plastic sheath the refrigerator originally came in!

For eight months I have been trying to shine plastic wrap with stainless-steel cleaner and the finish – duh! – became increasingly opaque each time I did it!

So I picked at a corner then peeled away all three pieces. One for each door then one for the freezer! It felt very satisfying.

Once I stopped feeling foolish I realized this is something we tend to do quite often. We misunderstand a situation, decide what needs to be done without thinking things through, then invest increasing amounts of effort to absolutely no effect! Doing the wrong thing but working at it harder is still doing the wrong thing.

Doing the wrong thing but working at it harder is still doing the wrong thing

I believe this is why so many people are unhappy. We set out on the wrong path then rather than recalibrate we just try harder. Working fruitlessly at “having fun!” Or, “surrounding myself with expensive stuff!” Or, “drinking because it’s supposed to make me feel good….”

But it doesn’t work, and so we try harder. More “fun”! More stuff!! More booze!!! But we end up empty and disappointed and broken.

Like trying to polish plastic wrap with stainless-steel cleaner. The harder I tried the worse it looked.

Recalculating….

So stop it already! Pull the artificial off and enjoy the real.

And what is real? The real turns out to be the search for meaning, and discovering our purpose, and serving others in love, and deepening our relationship with God.

When we focus on meaning we find that we also have joy and we have it in abundance. And we are satisfied.

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us…