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Try as I might, I cannot grasp how to use Cling Wrap™ properly. It comes in a long rectangular box with an oh-so-fine serrated edge. This sharp edge is, in theory, supposed to help tear the cling wrap into nice, even pieces. These pieces of plastic should be used to cover food containers in the refrigerator. Despite my efforts and many years of experience in the kitchen, I have rarely been able to tear off a perfect piece of cling wrap to cover a dish. This struggle is what is known as the Cling Wrap™ wars. If you’ve never fought with Cling Wrap™, I hope you never do. It’s a battle you are sure to lose.

The violent world of Cling Wrap™

Following directions, this scenario plays out nearly every time I dare to face the Cling Wrap™ wars:

Set the dish that needs to be covered on the counter.

1. Open the box of Cling Wrap™.
2. Find the edge of the Cling Wrap™. This is a feat of major proportions. Why? Because the edge of the plastic is nearly invisible, it usually results in uneven tearing of the Cling Wrap™.
3. Frustration begins to bubble beneath the surface.
4. Pull the desired amount of Cling Wrap™ from the box, with bunched edges, over the dish.
5. As instructed on the box, gently pull on one side of the Cling Wrap™. Then, tear the end of the wrap off.
6. If the wrap does not tear, apply more pressure.
7. The Cling Wrap™ then begins to bunch up and stretch and will not tear evenly. This is when my knuckles are torn against the fine, serrated edge. This sharp edge seems to tear my skin better than the plastic wrap.
8. Rinse and repeat until successful or the knuckles are too sore to try again.
9. Get another dish with its cover and give up.

Whoever invented this stuff? I’ve even tried the perforated cling wrap with nearly the same results. Except my knuckles don’t bleed, which is a big plus.

I keep telling myself I need to purchase more storage containers with lids. The problem is that the lids don’t stay on nearly every time I have purchased containers here. I then find myself returning to the violent world of Cling Wrap™.

Pass the first aid kit, please.

I cling to other things

Like Cling Wrap™ that seems to cling to everything besides that it is intended for, I find in myself times that I cling to other things, things other than what I’m created for.

In Matthew 16:13-20, Jesus had a conversation with His disciples. He asked them who people thought He was. After hearing their replies, He asked, “Who do you say I am?” Famously, Peter declares that Jesus is the Christ. In verse 17, Jesus calls Peter “Blessed” for his revelation of Who He was.

Peter had an idea of Who he thought Jesus was and what that looked like. He was correct in saying that Jesus was the Christ, but he had no idea what that meant. Immediately after Peter’s statement, Jesus told His disciples (see Matthew 16:21-28) that He would suffer, die, and rise from the dead. That same Peter who was called blessed just a few verses earlier was told in verse 23, “Get behind me Satan!” Peter was clinging to his own ideas of how things were meant to be.

He clung to His assignment

Jesus was passionate; He clung to His assignment. At the same time, He told His disciples (and we who follow Him today) that the assignment we are to cling to is to be likened to a cross.

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.

Matthew 16:24 NLT 

Much like Peter’s, our own ideas of what our faith is supposed to look like won’t mirror what taking up our crosses is meant to be.

This morning, I was reading in Luke 17 where Jesus describes the work of a servant:

So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.

Luke 17:10 ESV 

Often, we make the mistake of living our lives daily. We give God a nod when we read our Bible and pray. Then we give Him another nod when we make it to church, believing that we are living lives of profitable servants. If we only live to fulfill duty, we’ve not yet entered the realm of being profitable for the Kingdom. Being profitable means going above and beyond the call of duty and entering a place of actually adding value (touching souls) to the Kingdom.

What it means to be profitable

In Matthew 25:14-30 the parable of the three servants gives the account of what it means to be profitable. Each of the three was given a different amount of money (talents) to care for while the master was away. The first two earned interest on the money they were left, and they were declared to be profitable. The third hid the money he was given and returned to the master exactly what had been given to him. Businesspeople understand this principle: if an employee is not profitable, he is fired. That’s what happened to this third servant.

The Cling Wrap™ wars, when we cling to the bare minimum

If we only do what is correct as believers (read our Bibles, pray, attend church, love others, give, show mercy, etc.), that’s simply doing our duty. As servants of the Kingdom, we have a much greater destiny than just clinging to doing the bare minimum to get a pass into Heaven. Jesus came as One Man to this earth and now has innumerable followers. In the same way, we are to sow ourselves into the lives of others. In so doing, we can expect a great harvest of souls.

Not only are we to sow ourselves into the Kingdom as Jesus did, but we are to do so willingly. We must cling to that purpose, understanding there’s far more at stake than our comfort or convenience.

With all its trappings, this world seeks to engage us to the point of eliminating our profitability for the Kingdom. God’s Kingdom, unlike the world we live in today, is eternal and immovable. This world is, as we all know too well, temporary, corruptible, and unable to satisfy the deep craving all of us have in our souls for something better, something more.

Instead of fighting the Cling Wrap™ wars, I’ve decided to cling to the cross.