Farm Weld

C o l o s s i a n s 1 : 1 7 

He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Living the ranching lifestyle isn’t always about getting to saddle a good horse each day and ride through cattle. Some of the best hands I’ve been around knew more than just how to sit a horse. In my opinion, one skill that makes a person pretty handy is knowing how to weld. Now, I’m the first to admit that I’m not a good welder. I don’t know things like why a 7018 welding rod is better than 6010 or 6011; I’ve just been told that it’s better. I don’t know what type rod is made for welding up or which rod is made for welding down. But I have mastered the art of what most guys commonly refer to as a “farm weld.” This is a weld that isn’t at all pretty, but it holds whatever it is you’re welding together so you can use it to get a job done.

Not too long ago, some friends of mine and I were welding up some continuous fence for another guy. One of the guys, who happens to be a great welder, watched as I did my best to lay down a pretty weld. Seeing that  I didn’t really know what I was doing, he kindly offered some pointers. He told me things like, “when you’re welding top-rail to your line posts, you need to tilt your rod up a bit,” and “when welding a vertical seam, you need to speed up a little and come back and weld over what you just welded.” But it wasn’t until he said, “loosen your grip and relax your arm,” that I began to weld the best I’d ever welded. See, I was so tense, partly because I knew he was watching me but also because I felt like I had to have a tight grip on the handle to control the rod and make  a good weld. What I quickly learned was that the opposite was true. The looser my grip and the more relaxed my arm was, the smoother my hand moved, making my welds prettier and stronger.

Sometimes I treat my life a lot like my welding. I think that as long as I have a tight grip on the things that are happening around me, life is going to be good. Sadly, this couldn’t be further from the truth. What I learn more and more every day is that just like welding with a loose grip makes for a smoother weld, life is always better, and in many cases a lot smoother, when I loosen my grip and allow God to guide my every move. This is a real struggle for me because I want to control everything. For example, I want to keep a tight grip on my kids. I want to keep a tight grip on the people that work for me. I want to control how people respond to my preaching. I want to control how I spend my time. I want to control how my wife responds to my hints for getting frisky (can I get a witness). I want to control everything. But as I’ve already admitted, the more I try to control things and not let God have control, the less I grow, and the more things go south.

Maybe you’re like me and you want to have a tight grip on everything. Maybe you have a tight grip on a dating relationship that you don’t want to end. Or maybe you have a tight grip on where you want to work or live. Maybe you have a tight grip on your money. We all struggle with holding on to things too tightly. But if we were wise and knew what was best for us, we would listen to our Lord’s instruction in today’s key verse and trust that He holds all things together. Looking back on that day of welding, I would’ve never made a better weld if I hadn’t listened to my friend. He was more experienced. He was encouraging. He made me better. God is the same way. He doesn’t want to control us because He’s this controlling God who doesn’t want us to live a great life. He wants control so that we can succeed and live a more fulfilling life—a life of peace, joy, and purpose. 

C H E W  O N  T H I S 

What do you need to loosen your grip on and allow God to guide you in? What are you trying to make happen that’s not working? How teachable are you? Are you willing to surrender everything to the Lord?

P R A Y E R 

God, I don’t want to control my life, so I’m surrendering everything to you. Thank you for being an all-knowing, all-powerful God that knows what’s best for me. I trust you and I commit to doing things your way.