The Socks Solution

By Ethan Gale

struggled to fall asleep. The night wasn't just cold, it was freezing! I shivered under my blanket, trying to keep warm. Winter had come early this year and in full force. I hadn't thought to get my extra blanket out of storage, and now I was suffering the consequence. I wrapped my sheet, blanket, and bedcover tighter around me, hoping that would hold the little body heat I had trapped inside. It was no use. I was fighting a losing battle. Numbness crept through my toes, and I imagined icicles forming on my blue, frozen feet.
      I tried everything I could think of to keep them warm. I rubbed them against each other. I smacked them against the edge of my bed. I tucked them underneath me. Nothing worked.
      Then, the thought popped into my head. Socks! If I had a pair of socks, they would help keep my feet from freezing. Wait a minute! I do have a pair of socks. They are on the chair, not more than two feet from the foot of the bed.
      Those socks were so close, but to get them and put them on meant that I would have to get out of my covers. Oh, how I wanted those socks, but I dreaded the thought of climbing out of bed to get them. The biting cold persisted. I tossed back and forth, trying to keep warm without having to expose my body to the real cold outside of my covers. Finally I had had enough. Here I was, exerting all of this extra energy trying to generate heat, when all I had to do was get out of bed and put on my socks.
      With one courageous deep breath I swung my covers back and sat up. Surprisingly, it wasn't much colder outside of my blanket. I grabbed my socks, slid them on, and slithered back under my bedding. The entire foray probably took no more than six seconds.
      It wasn't long before my feet thawed out. I relaxed a bit, already feeling the benefits of my newly acquired tool to combat the cold. Warmth spread through my whole being. I felt my eyelids flutter and close, and I fell into a deep, peaceful, warm sleep.
      I wonder how many people are like that. They struggle to find solutions to their problems, when the answer is not more than an arm's reach away. Jesus is right there, just waiting to be called upon. He is more than willing to help us with our problems if we will just reach out to Him, but we foolishly try to do things our own way. We fumble and flop about, struggling with life, and all the while help is right there.
      We imagine that it will make things even harder if we strip away our self-reliance and let go of all the things that we assumed were going to help but haven't and instead reach out and grab ahold of Him. However, when we finally get tired of struggling and face the fact that all of our self-effort can only get us so far, and once we make that extra little effort to get His help, how easy life becomes! The task that we thought was going to be oh so difficult turns out to be much easier than we expected. And if we call out to Jesus before we begin our work or day or whatever it is we're going to do next, that's really being smart.
      I got my extra blanket from storage, and tonight I'm putting on my socks before I get into bed.

Flip the Switch!

By David Brandt Berg

e all use electricity in our everyday lives, even though none of us has ever seen it, only its effect. In the same way, we must accept the existence of

God, even though we can't see Him. We simply know He does exist and He is here, ever-present, all-knowing, and all-powerful.
All that most of us know about electricity is that it works. We flip the switch and make contact with this invisible power, and it does the work for us. Likewise, we must learn to make personal contact with the power of God through prayer, a spiritual seeking of contact with His Spirit through obedience to the laws of His Word. We must avail ourselves of God just as we do electricity, and let His light and power into the rooms of our lives to give us light and power and joy in living by doing many things for us that we cannot do for ourselves.
Just reach out your hand of faith and turn the switch of decision, which makes the contact and starts the flow of that power into your life. You don't have to personally know all the answers. Just flip the switch and God will go to work!

Ethan Gale is a full-time volunteer with the Family International in Turkey.
David Brandt Berg (1919-1994) was founder of the Family International.
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