Monday, February 25, 2008

MAYBE QUIET TIME WITH GOD WOULD HELP; OR MAYBE THAT'S WHAT AN ADULT TIME OUT IS
When I first saw this photo of Old Faithful spouting off at sunrise, or at least early morning, I thought, "You know, people aren't like that. It takes the build up of frustrastions over the course of the day before most of us explode." When circumstances haven't met our expectations or desires. When plans we've made have not worked out. When events have muddled our schedules. When the unexpected is not advantageous to us.

But then I thought again. One of the first things I do every morning when I arise is get on the scale. Gingerly I step on to the digital scale which measures to a tenth of a pound. I try not to step too hard. I don't want the scale to reveal even one tenth of a pound more than I carry. Kinda like sneaking up on my shadow, but hey, that's the routine I follow every day.

Some days, I'm pleased. "Yes," I'll announce to myself congratulating me for a good day's inactivity into the world of gluttony. Other days, my response is "Oh, man." But it doesn't stop there. My mood is altered, maybe for the entire day. Especially when I think I've been good and deserve a loss and the scale tells me otherwise.

So what's wrong? Why do we need to blow off steam? Because we're too full of ourselves. If you noticed in the preceeding paragraphs, it was all about us and our desires, our wants, our needs.

Had we spent some quiet time with God earlier in the day, then maybe things would have been different. Had I prayed in bed or dropped to my knees before approaching that scale, I'd probably have a different reaction. I'd probably not carry the frustration through the day. I might just get my priorities in order.

Time outs for children change their behavior. I wouldn't equate quiet time with God the same way. It's so much more valuable than a time out. And it's what God desires for us. To Him Old Faithful has a deeper meaning.

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