Searching for something heavy to hold open the door to his work shed the old man grabbed an espresso machine his son and daughter had given him on his birthday five years ago. Figuring out how to use it had been too much of a challenge, so he had put it back in the box and left it on the shelf beside the collection of screws and bolts left over from long unfinished projects. Two years later, the espresso machine still holds the shed door and the spot on the shelf has been filled with a box of holiday decorations.
The espresso machine has been an adequate doorstop, although the old man has stubbed his toe on it a few times. When he does, he vows to purchase a proper doorstop, but he never does. He has found it convenient to leave things as they are. Meanwhile, the espresso machine has never brewed a cup of coffee.
I contemplated this as I sipped my morning brew. Am I like the espresso machine being used as a doorstop, or, even worse, sitting unused on a shelf for years? There is nothing wrong with being a doorstop if that is what you were created to be, but I’m pretty sure that’s not my purpose. God has given me arms, legs, a creative mind, and a mouth—all things I wouldn’t need if I were intended to be a doorstop. Yes, figuring out how to use all the accessories I was given can be a challenge but I did come with a set of instructions. While I was thinking about it, I pulled out my instruction manual and came across this statement of purpose:
“You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9)
Hmm, that sure beats holding the door open!