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Mitch Todd About Mitch

Ice Maker in Whom We Live

Jesus calmed a stormy sea. He turned water into wine. This guy even walked on water.

And this week, he fixed my ice maker.

I don't know what to tell you. The thing wasn't working. We have one of those fridges with water and ice that you can access through the front door. The water was flowing just like it always does, but no ice. It was kind of the straw that broke the camel's back for me. Here at the beginning of a New Year, my life already seemed to be spinning out of control, and for some reason, that &$*% ice maker just plain drove me crazy!

We tried everything. We pulled the fridge out and looked at the water lines in the back. Nothing. We tried rearranging the items in the freezer so the door could close completely and the vents weren't blocked. Nothing. We lowered the temperature in case the line was frozen. We looked online for troubleshooting support. We messed with the mechanism to the point where we were afraid we'd break the thing, and still nothing.

Finally, after two ice-less weeks, we gave up. Eventually we'd call someone to repair it, but for now we'd use ice trays. We went out to the dollar store and bought several of them. We brought them home. We ran them through the dishwasher so the ice cubes wouldn't smell all plasticky. We opened the freezer to put the trays in, and...you guessed it. We had ice. Lots of it. On its own, it had begun pumping out ice with no signs of stopping.

Now let me explain something to you. I've been a Christian for a lot of years. I'm a preacher's kid. I've been to seminary. So I know darn well God's got better things to do than to fix my ice maker! I know that an ice maker, heck — even a refrigerator itself is a luxury item when you compare it to the poverty in so much of the world. My theological mind tells me it's just plain wrong to go ascribing miracles to silly things like self-repairing kitchen appliances. But then...

Then I think of all the times Jesus performed miracles involving water. Those weren't just an accident, you know. Water's a big deal in the Bible. Think back to the creation story. Remember God pushing back the waters of chaos and creating a dome in the sky, and dry land where people could live? That was God controlling chaos — bringing order to a world that did not have any.

When Jesus turned water into wine or walked on water, he was making a statement that he, too, could control the waters of chaos. Jesus came to our world to bring a new Order — to help people discover what the power of God could do in their lives.

And so, if Jesus could help bring order in those dramatic ways, why couldn't he help me with my New Year's feelings of chaos? All I know is that I slept like a baby that night. There were still bills to pay, crises to manage, and sermons to write, but I rested in the knowledge that Christ would be with me every step of the way, helping to restore some order to my crazy life.

So in the end, I guess I believe Christ still works miracles. Lots of 'em. Great big ones and teeny tiny ones and everywhere in between!

(Hey — Anybody need 6 unused ice trays?)

Have a Great Week,

Mitch
rmitchelltodd@yahoo.com