The Object Behind The Washer

My oldest daughter came over so we could catch up.
I love that special one-on-one time.
We usually end up talking for a few hours.
We talk about everything and nothing.

She texted me when she was on her way.
I wanted to open one of the garage doors for her.
My husband was away on business so we had the night to ourselves.
I had just opened the door that leads to the garage and pushed the button to open the door.

I went back into the kitchen.
A few minutes later, I heard the door open into the laundry room.
At the same time, I heard the garage door close.
My daughter came in the kitchen with a confused look on her face.

I knew that her look was because she just walked through the laundry room.
The rack where I hang longer things to dry, was in the middle of the floor.
The cabinet door above the washer was open.
There were things on top of the washer that are usually not there.

Everything OK? She asked looking back towards the room she just left.
Yes. I dropped something behind the washer and I am trying to get it, I said.
Let me help you, she offered even before she ate the dinner that was kept warm for her.
She got up and went into the laundry room.

She held something in her hand with that same confused look.
What is this? She asked me really wanting to know.
That is a magnet on a pole, I said stating the obvious.
It was something my husband got at a tool store and it usually comes in handy.

The pole extends and has a circle magnet, the size of a nickle, on the end.
If you drop something that is made of metal, you can easily retrieve it using the pole.
I was so sure that I was going to be able to get the small metal object that fell behind the washer.
I watched it roll towards the edge of the washer and fall behind it with a clank.

I had been trying to retrieve it before my daughter arrived.
I was unsuccessful.
I thought that maybe she might be able to pull the washer out from the wall a bit.
It is a large front loader.

She walked towards the washer and put her hands on both sides.
The large washing machine would not budge.
Since the washer is not on wheels, it was almost impossible to move.
I watched the delivery men use a dolly to move my new washer into position.

Let’s try the pole, she suggested.
I had already done that, but I thought that two of us might have more success.
My daughter extended the pole and laid down on the floor.
I was on the other side shining the flashlight under the washer.

We could both hear the metal object that fell behind the washer.
The extension pole was actually long enough to reach it.
However, the bottom of the washer is metal and the magnet is strong.
The magnet kept attaching to the bottom of the washer.

It was a no-win situation.
The magnet was too strong.
The metal bottom of the washer seemed to be luring the magnet towards it.
The magnet would attach itself quite strongly and have to be shimmied in order to detach.

We both looked at each other.
The metal object was going to have to wait for my husband to come home at the end of the week.
We tried.
We were not successful.

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

It was not vitally important that I retrieve the metal object.
The challenge was on.
I knew that I could not do anything that would hurt my back.
However, I thought that there had to be another way to retrieve it.

My daughter and I talked all evening.
After she left, I thought about the metal object behind the washer.
Then I remembered something that was in one of the foyer closets.
I went to get it.

I pulled out an old-fashioned, non-magnetic, wooden yardstick.
I actually found it at an antique store I love to visit.
It had the name of a market on it in the place of Amish buggies.
It reminded me of a yardstick my grandmother had in her closet.

It was not fancy.
It did not extend any longer than 36 inches.
It did not bend.
It was perfect for the job at hand.

I laid down on the floor without any flashlight.
I put the yardstick under the washer and it slid right back.
The yardstick did not attach to the metal bottom.
It went under everything that had been an obstacle to the magnet.

The yardstick hit the metal object.
I was able to gently guide it to the side of the washer.
I looked and saw the object I wanted to retrieve.
I was able to turn it so that it easily slid along the side of the washer into my hand.

You would think I won a major race.
You would think I invented something spectacular.
I was so excited that something old-fashioned, yet tried and true, solved the problem.
Newer is not necessarily better.

Temptations are all around us.
They lure us towards them.
If we get too close, it is like the magnetic field that grabbed hold of the magnet every time.
Temptations can be relentless; we are hooked before we realize it.

We should not see how close to the line of temptation we can get.
We should see how far away from the line we can stay.
The pull is very strong.
We need something tried and true to keep us from being lured into something dangerous.

God’s Word is our yardstick.
God’s Word keeps us far back from the line of temptation, if we obey it.
Self-help and newfangled solutions will not be as effective as the Word of God.
We need the straight edge of the Word of God to guide us.

How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. (Psalm 119:9-11)

Grab the yardstick of God’s Word.
Read it.
Meditate on it.
Hide it in your heart.