Hello. My name is Gayle and I’m a Fixer.
I first discovered I had the problem when my kids were preschoolers. But I found I was pretty good at fixing things, so I kept at it. A Band-Aid for a scraped knee, a bottle and a nap for a cranky infant, a time-out for an allegation of a snatched-away toy. Yea! I think I got this!
It turns out, the role wasn’t quite as easy in my kids’ school-aged years, but I gave it my best shot. A phone call to the nasty bully’s mom, a quick note to the mean teacher about an “unfair” grade, a harassing phone call to the boy who broke my daughter’s heart. OK, I didn’t actually DO any of those things…but I wanted to!!! Are you a “fixer” too?
I find I still have the Fixer mode lurking inside me. When the check-out line at the store is too long, I want to FIX it. When someone is being rude, I want to fix THEM. And when my friend is hurting in a broken relationship or by a terrible medical diagnosis, I want to fix that too. If I can’t fix it myself, then I might run to God in prayer and lay out to Him exactly how HE should fix it! But that’s not exactly how God planned for this “fixin” thing to work.
Recently I was wondering if Jesus experienced that same human Fixer problem I have. Would He have liked to fix it so that his earthly father, Joseph, lived to see him step into His ministry years? Would He have liked to fix it so that his cousin, John the Baptist, wasn’t beheaded in prison for doing what was right in God’s sight, but rather got to be beside Jesus in ministry? Would Jesus have liked to fix it so that ALL the hurting people who flocked to Him were healed, not just select ones?
Jesus understands my “fix it” tendencies. After all, Jesus is the One who taught me that my natural bent to want to fix things needs to be yielded to the Heavenly Father’s will. Hebrews 4:15 tells me that Jesus is my high priest who is able to sympathize with my weaknesses because He was tempted in every way I have been, but He did it without sin.
My sin in the “fix it” mode is that I’m not trusting God with something (or someone). I’m trying to take control of something I have no business in, power over or even understanding of! I’m putting myself on the throne as if I should be a god.
That’s idolatry. When I look at my “fixing” that way, it looks foolish!
I see that Jesus struggled with His own human will to fix things on the Mount of Olives when He honestly asked His Father, “…if You are willing, take this cup from me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” I see that when He taught His disciples (and us) to pray, He said to pray, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matt. 6:10) Just a few verses later he said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
FIXER - When I consider Who God is and names I can use to praise Him, maybe I’ve discovered a new one to use! Because He’s our loving Heavenly Father, in the end, all things will be made right… FIXED. All things will be restored. The saints of God will be made whole and gathered in His presence. I need to believe Him… and trust Him.
How do you feel, knowing Jesus understands your desire to fix things?
I think I’ll leave the “fixin” in God’s hands. I was never very good at it anyway.
Meet the Author!
Gayle Hadden and her high school sweetheart, Terry, love leading a home group for CRBC. They are parents to three wonderful adult children, their spouses, and are blessed with six adorable grandchildren. Gayle served for ten years in Moms in Prayer International as a USA Division Coordinator for seven states and is passionate about getting children and schools covered in prayer. She loves seeing the Word of God come alive in lives, watching God’s hand in nature, playing with grandkids, traveling, boating, birding, and chocolate (dark please!).