My mother told me there would be days like this!

Good Wednesday morning on this beautiful cool crisp mid week edition of October 8, 2008. My internal clock did a number on me this morning by not signaling me on my regular schedule. It did come to attention but about 30 minutes later than my normal first wake up call. I know that routines can easily become ruts and ruts can rule our lives if we are not careful. You've probably heard that definition of a rut that we tend to stay in as being nothing more than a grave with both ends kicked out of it. Whatever, I do like to do my thing plus or minus a few minutes on my normal schedule. Thirty minutes for me is huge even though the difference between 3:30 and 4:00 a.m doesn't seem that great but I can tell you that when I left this morning at 4:15 a.m. everything was different. The other folks that I usually run with at my earlier time, well, they were already gone, therefore, I had to deal with a whole new set. I believe the earlier group were there mostly by choice and we somehow seem bonded together in our desire to miss the hustle and bustle of early morning traffic jams. The group I was with this morning seemed to be more tense and uptight and even the traffic signals acted angry and out of sync.

Okay, thirty minutes is no big deal and I 100% understand this to be the truth. BUT we all have our preferences. My internal clock may not have received the memo about the possibility of me becoming too stirred up watching only a few minutes of the presidential debate last evening. I had rushed in from our inner city Bible club program and there they were, the two candidates duking it out. The economy is in the tank. The outlook is about as gloomy as we've heard in a long time. Since we are still staying with our eldest son he was pointing out our favored candidate's weak spots and all of that added together may have triggered a signal malfunction that took down my clock routine that has been so faithful over the years. I did get my first bid on rebuilding our house yesterday and I also met with a 2nd potential contractor. The first bid is only $35,000 to $40,000 higher than the insurance estimate depending on how you deal with depreciation. The good news is the fact that we have replacement cost as the standard in our policy. This means that whatever the actual cost is to restore will be covered. The bad news is the fact that the burden of proof is on the homeowner who has to prove these numbers.

My internal clock may be a little out of whack but we can be sure the Master of time and eternity is not having any of the same problems. Our Great God is providentially working to accomplish His purposes in the "all things" that make up the details of this life. What a privilege it is to recognize Him and connect into His purpose by doing what we can to serve. I can become weary and find myself down and out due to the weight of all the stuff I'm trying to get done but that's only natural. It is when I slow down and consider the magnitude of the big picture and how God has arranged it so you and I can know Him and live with Him forever that these other details become less cumbersome. Seeing life through the lens of the supernatural is what makes sense of it all and allows us to get up and go each day, whether our internal clock or the one on the night stand did it's thing or not! Have a blessed day and don't forget to thank God for His provisions! Amen. .......More later.