Growing up I was the only child of a hard working, single mom. It was just the two of us, and we did everything together. We even maintained a decent-sized house with a pretty big back yard. So, out of necessity, I learned to do all sorts of things. For instance, I learned early on how to clean a house, maintain a garden and how not to run over the long orange extension cord of the electric lawn mower… with the lawn mower! A story for another time ;)

Long before discovering a toolbox with proper tools, like a hammer and nails, I learned the amazing properties of duct tape! From quick and easy, to more elaborate household repairs I would depend on my trusty roll of duct tape. It was “all-purpose”, not always pretty, but very dependable.

I don’t want to brag but I was considered the duct tape queen, back in the day.

My love and appreciation for the merits of duct tape have not dampened with time. Only last year when the hem on my clergy robe ripped just before an ordination, I ran to my office, whipped out a roll of duct tape and went to work. Ta Dah! The seam held together.

Duct tape can fix anything! And I mean anything!

Just today I pulled out my trusty, all-purpose tool to tape together a part of my desk!

As I unrolled this amazing invention, it got me thinking about how duct tape and faith are rather similar.

This may be a stretch but stick with me (no pun intended)!

Duct tape holds things together that we think are falling apart, and can be used in a great number of situations. Like duct tape, faith can be used in all situations. In good times and bad times, our faith acts like tape that allows us to bind Biblical truths to our life situations.

No matter what, faith in God is always the answer to whatever we are facing. Faith in God will hold our lives together. We need sticky faith.

I rely a lot on my duct tape. Not only do I know that it will hold stuff together, I trust it to do its job.

Faith is like that too! It’s trusting that God is going to be there for you — that God is going to have our back and stick around, no matter what we are facing. Faith is choosing to believe, regardless of what we see around us, that what God says is true.

“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”— Hebrews 13:5 NIV

When situations look hopeless, wrap it in “duct-tape” faith knowing God will stick with us and keep it all together.