There may be no sentence in the English language more consistently ignored than the instructions that come with something we are absolutely certain we can figure out ourselves.
Instructions, after all, are apparently written for other people. People who lack intuition. People who cannot look at seventeen pieces of hardware, three boards, two brackets, twelve screws, and one tiny Allen wrench and confidently announce, “I’ve got this.”
Twenty minutes later, Board C is backward, Screw H is permanently lodged somewhere Screw H was never intended to go, and there are four mysterious pieces still lying on the floor that do not appear to belong anywhere. This is usually the precise moment when the instructions suddenly become important.
We do not consult them humbly, of course. We consult them to determine where the manufacturer went wrong.
Recipes receive similar treatment. The directions say to bake something at 350 degrees for thirty minutes, but we are hungry now, so 425 for twelve minutes seems like perfectly reasonable mathematics. Then we stand over something burned around the edges and strangely liquid in the middle wondering what happened.
The instructions know what happened.
I laugh because there is an uncomfortable little picture of my spiritual life tucked inside all of this.
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:5–6)
There is an order to that promise that I find both reassuring and mildly inconvenient. We trust Him, acknowledge Him, and He directs our paths. I sometimes prefer a slightly revised arrangement in which I devise the plan, begin the plan, become emotionally attached to the plan, ask God to bless the plan, and then become thoroughly confused when the spiritual equivalent of Board C is backward.
Yet God’s instructions are not arbitrary rules handed down by Someone determined to make life difficult. They come from the One who designed life in the first place. He knows what sin will damage before I ever see the crack forming. He knows which choices will strengthen my faith and which ones will quietly weaken it. He knows where a road ends while I am still admiring the scenery at the beginning.
That gives “for best results” a much deeper meaning, because following God’s instructions does not guarantee the results I would naturally call best. Noah followed instructions and spent years building a massive boat on dry land. Abraham followed instructions and left home without receiving the complete itinerary. Israel stepped toward the Jordan while the water was still there. God has never promised that obedience will always be convenient, immediately understandable, or accompanied by a detailed explanation.
This presents a slight problem for those of us who appreciate explanations—preferably detailed ones, delivered in advance, with diagrams, estimated arrival times, and, if the Lord doesn’t mind, a tracking number so we can check His progress periodically.
Faith rarely comes with tracking information.
Sometimes God gives enough light for the next step and asks us to trust Him with the rest. We may not understand why His Word says wait when we want to move, refrain when something looks harmless, forgive when someone does not deserve it, give when we would rather keep, or stand firm when compromise would make everything considerably easier. His instruction can seem restrictive when we are looking only at the present moment, but God is looking at the finished work.
Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). That places obedience where it belongs—not as a way of earning His love, but as a response to it. I follow Him because I am learning that the One giving the instructions can be trusted even when I cannot yet see why they matter.
And there is something else I find deeply comforting. When I have ignored the instructions and made a mess of things, God does not discard the project. He corrects, teaches, forgives, redirects, and patiently leads me back into His will. Grace does not make His instructions unnecessary; grace gives me another opportunity to follow them.
After enough experience trying to assemble portions of my life with my own little spiritual Allen wrench, I am beginning to appreciate those five familiar words:
For best results, follow instructions.
Preferably before inserting Screw H.
If this Fireside Chat warmed your spirit and sparked fresh resolve to live what you believe, fan that flame with Scripture—“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:16). Pull a little closer to the Light, and carry it into the week ahead.
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