Life Without the Microwave

Microwave ovens are very handy contraptions. We can use them to cook food, reheat food, warm up hot compresses for aches or injuries, boil water, melt butter (or chocolate), make popcorn, and so much more! So when the moment comes (as it will) that the microwave gives out, it can be slightly inconvenient. We are a family that eats leftovers after I have cooked a meal, so when my husband went to get the mashed potatoes out from the night before, or the spaghetti, or any number of other foods, suddenly reheating became a big ordeal.

We have become accustomed to being able to have something almost right at the moment we think about it, maybe not instantaneously, but close enough. We are very spoiled because of this appliance that gives us what we need so quickly for the most part. And so, it has been a huge adjustment for us not being able to use it.

I started thinking about how we try to fix the problems in our lives with a microwave mentality. We want this or that in five minutes or less. We want our children to act right in five minutes or less. We want our friendship mended in five minutes or less. We want our marriage repaired in five minutes or less. We want our finances to be perfect in 30 seconds or less!

Is this realistic thinking? Has our first world mentality affected the way we deal with this reality called LIFE? We expect things to be exactly the way we want them right this moment, without putting the work into it that is actually required.

If we want our finances to be better, we must budget and be responsible, and not spend beyond our means. If we want our children to behave, we must teach them and discipline them in love and with wisdom. In order to have the very best of friendships, we must be the best friend that we can be, without expecting anything in return. And if we expect to see the best in our marriage, we must be the spouse that God has called us to be. This last one is a whole other subject that would take too long to get into on this post, but I will say this…when we love and respect and honor our spouse, it will make all the difference in the world in our marriage. When we lift them up and encourage them, let them know daily how much they mean to us, and give them our time and attention, we are not only honoring the person, but we are honoring God by following His instruction.

These are only a few examples of the plethora of things that we deal with daily with our microwave mentality. The last one I want to talk about is our relationship with God. So often, instead of talking to Him all through our busy days and lifting Him up with our worship and praise, we wait until there is a crisis in our lives to call on Him in desperation. Instead of seeking His will in our lives on our knees in His presence, we wait until we need something and then begin to cry out to Him for help. God is not some cosmic microwave, where you push a button and everything is fixed in a few seconds. Our Father wants our time. He wants our love. He wants our whole heart. I do my best to give my own children what they need and want, but it completely melts my heart when they love on me and want to spend time with me. If the only time they ever spoke to me was when they needed something, I have to say that would hurt. Unfortunately, we seem to not realize how it hurts the heart of God when we don’t give Him our love and our time. He knows we are not perfect better than anyone because He made us, but He also desires to be close to us and He desires communication with us – not just us talking to Him, but listening to Him. He is our heavenly Father, and He desires relationship with us. He didn’t call us to be “religious” people; He called us to be followers of Christ. He called us to be the church. We cannot do those things if our walk with Him is based on this microwave mentality with which we treat so many other things.

Today, take a moment to really think about how you deal with the things in your life…with people, with problems, etc. Ask yourself if you have been treating everything in your life with the microwave mentality. And most importantly, make a change. Sometimes life without the microwave is what we needed all along.