Recently, I decided that I could fix a light fixture in our building that was not working. It was mounted on a ceiling that was 15 feet high.

The step ladder I had to use was heavy and it took almost all the strength that I had to set it up. After getting the ladder in place, I took out the ballast and made a trip to the electrical supply house. They sold me the new ballast that was supposed to be a match to the old one. I took the new ballast back to the building and once again set the ladder in place.

I climbed up the ladder and after disconnecting the power, installed the new ballast. I then reconnected the electric and reassembled the fixture. After installing two new bulbs, it worked. I walked out feeling a sense of accomplishment for a job well done.

The next morning I walked into the building, and to my dismay, the light was once again not working. When I looked up at the dead fixture, I remember the last time I had worked on another light in the same building and had broken the light kit on one of the ceiling fans.

On that occasion I was just changing bulbs but the ladder was so tall and heavy that I slammed it into the fan, knocking the globe from the light kit to the floor. It broke into a thousand pieces and I spent a great deal of time cleaning up the mess. After that thought entered my mind, I decided to call an electrician to fix the light fixture that I had spent all that time on the day before.

I must admit that I am tempted to go through the entire process again and try to fix the light, but that is a gamble and I really do not have the time to go through all of that and have it not work again.

How many times could we save ourselves heartache and pain if we would just contact someone that had the ability to fix our problem? Why do we keep trying to fix things that are difficult for us but easy for someone else? What have we gained if we are breaking things in our effort to fix the problem? How can we discern the things that we can fix and those we cannot?

These and other life questions will be addressed Sunday morning as “The Gathering Place Family” meets at 240 Courthouse Parkway for Life Groups at 9:30 and in the lobby at 10 a.m. for our Pre-Service Connection where we enjoy coffee, juice and donuts. Our Worship Service and Children’s Church then begins at 10:30. Come at 7 p.m. and be part of our Wednesday night Bible Study and Children’s Ministry.