You Ain’t Elmer’s
Photo by Scott Sanker on Unsplash
I’ve shared on numerous occasions that the Holy Spirit speaks to me in the shower. It’s a space I relish. I love hot water and beautiful scents. It’s my happy place and where I do a lot of thinking and processing. A few days ago, as I engaged in my ritual while crying out to God, naming all the things I felt I was responsible for, the Holy Spirit said what only I would understand and in a way to gain my full attention. I heard, “You ain’t Elmer’s.” I hollered. Immediately, I was catapulted back to Horace Mann Elementary whereby me and my classmates would cover our hands with Elmer’s glue, allow it to dry and then peel away the residue. It was a fun process, but typically meaningless. The real usage for glue came during art projects, where there were never an adequate amount of glue sticks. We had to wait. We had to barter. We held judgement about the person who used the glue up, leaving our perfectly imperfect creations to dangle until we reached our homes to reinforce our projects. In either case, no matter how much I tried, I could not become glue. And to attempt such, would be as meaningless as covering my hands with glue. Yet, forty-five years later, I am still operating in my best elementary behavior, trying to hold together what God never instructed me to. In fact, “You ain’t Elmer’s” was a gentle, loving, yet intentional reminder that I’ve never been hired to do a job that only God is equipped and qualified for.
In this season and in past iterations, Lord knows I’ve tried. The job, parenting, caregiving, marriage, friendships, relationships, health, finances and the list goes on. And while each of these aspects are important, deserve attention and present as blessings and beautiful messes, the only One positioned to see at the 40,000 foot level, with the knowledge of the beginning and ending is that of our Most High God. I see each aspect as a piece; while God sees each as a piece of a larger and more grand testimony and witness, thus giving me peace. It is only through trust in Him to see what the end will become. Colossians 1:7 declares, “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” In other words, when I was playfully peeling glue off my fingers, our God knew the circumstances that would surround me and prompt me to attempt to role play as Him. And He knew that my attempt to be Him would result in my need to retreat to hot showers to regain clarity - even if said clarity brings me to the realization that I’m not God. I am unable to hold myself together consistently, so I’m definitely ill-equipped to hold everything together that God has placed in my life. Perhaps He intended for me to love, to encourage and to point everyone and every situation to the Cross.
This realization doesn’t mean that I stop believing, nor for me to stop praying. Quite the contrary. It does mean that no manipulation on my end will result in a sustainable and desirable outcome. Hebrews 1:3 reads, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.” The scriptures don’t have my name (or yours) encompassed. Sounds like the glue is someone else’s responsibility. A quick Google search yields the following purpose of glue, “The primary purpose of glue is to permanently bond two or more separate items together by creating a surface attachment that resists separation.” If there is anything I need to cling to in order to counter separation, it is my relationship with God. As I cling to Him, I may assume the confidence that He’s concerned about whatever concerns me. He is the ultimate connector, without my assistance. After all as He reminded, “You ain’t Elmer’s.” Selah.