July 18, 2010

It wasn't intended for this.

If you are using something for a purpose that it wasn't intended or designed for, you have no right to get upset or angry when it doesn't work as you expect.

For instance, the other morning as I was running out of the door for a workout, I grabbed a plastic container and filled it with water. The container was a Rubbermaid 1-Quart MixerMate. While this container has a flip-top cap and certainly holds liquids, it is designed for mixing powders with liquid, not for providing a remarkable spill-proof experience. As a result, water was spilled.

At first, I was upset and frustrated. There's a nice flip-top lid on the container. It holds liquids. Therefore, it must be spill-proof. However, I was not using the product in the way that the manufacturer intended for it to be used.

Conversely, when I use it to mix powdered drinks, it works great. The powder mixes with the water effectively. I am using the product as it was intended to be used.

Our lives are not any different. Our lives have been uniquely designed and created with specific purpose and intent. When we use the life we have been given in the way that the manufacturer intended, things tend to work the way that they are supposed to. Does that mean everything is perfect? Absolutely not, however, it greatly reduces the number of challenges and frustrations that we are going to experience along the way.

Are you using your life as it was intended to be used, or do you often find yourself frustrated and upset because everywhere you turn and everything you touch seems to topple over and spill?

If it is the latter, perhaps you are using your life in a way that the manufacturer never intended for it to be used.

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