--"You are loved with an everlasting love and underneath are His everlasting arms."

--WHAT PRAYER CAN DO~~

==[POWER IN OUR DAY-TO-Day LIVES ~~]

--TANKS BE TO GOD~~

--REAL men Fix their own toilets. Especially when they don't have money for a plumber. I set the replacement tank on the floor of the bathroom with a thump. It's a simple job, I thought. Just disconnect the water supply, unscrew the bolts on the old tank with channel lock pliers and replace it with the new one. I didn't need to hire a plumber. I could do it myself.

I eyed my opponent--the toilet that wouldn't stop running--tucked into the corner of the bathroom. There wasn't much room for a full-grown man to work, but I was determined. I dropped to my knees and wedged myself into the space between the toilet bowl and the wall. With my left cheek smooshed against cold porcelain and my right arm bent in half, it was hard to get enough leverage to unscrew the bold attaching the hose to the spigot. Whoever installed this toiled must have been as strong as a gorilla, I thought.

An hour later, I was covered in sweat and grime. All my limbs had fallen asleep. I wasn't feeling so rugged and manly anymore. But I would not be beaten by a toilet. I changed my direction, my angle, my grip. The hose still wouldn't budge.

As the job got uglier, so did my mood. Every frustration in my life came to mind. The broken toilet. The badly designed bathroom. The lack of many for a plumber. Along-ago argument I had with a friend. Ever single thing I didn't like about my job, my house, my life. Once I got started, there was nothing I wasn't angry about.

I gritted my teeth, bore down on the channel lock. Nothing happened.

Oh God!! He was the one thing I hadn't thought about. I imagined Him watching me now. Shame washed over me. "I'm sorry," I said, thinking of my arrogance, my bitterness. "Please, God, I said, "I need You. And not just to fix this toilet."

I took a deep breath and gave the channel lock pliers another twist. The hose loosened effortlessly. Real men, it turns out, know when to ask God for help. Yes, tanks and thanks be to God!

--Guideposts/ BJ