Daily Devotional for February 9, 2023

While I love my job and am very thankful to have it, I hate some of the administrative tasks.  They always put me in a very grumpy mood.   I consider them penance for a lot of sin.

These last few weeks, I have been especially grumpy because I am in the process of rewriting job descriptions.  And while I can’t find it in the Bible, I am pretty sure Hell is writing job descriptions for eternity.

Yesterday, I worked on Melissa’s job description.  Her title is Director of Office and Church Operations.

Wondering if anyone really paid attention to these new job descriptions, I added the additional responsibility in Melissa’s job description that said, “Tell Tom where to stand, what to say, and write his sermons.”

After giving Melissa her job description and asking her to review it, I walked away, curious if she would really pay attention to her responsibilities.

An hour later, Melissa walked into my office with some questions, and I asked if she had reviewed her job description.  She said she had, and she was good with it.

Then I said, “What about the part that says you will tell me where to stand, what to say, and write my sermons?”  She said, “Did you put that in there?”  I said, “Yep.”

But now that I think about it, Melissa usually does tell me where to stand and what to say.  So, the only real addition is that she will now be writing my sermons.  Expect the quality of the sermons to go way up.

The point to this meandering devotional is, even though Melissa is usually a stickler for details, she missed what was right in front of her.  She’s not alone.

When I think about the ways God works in my life, most of the time I don’t see them because I am not really paying attention.  In fact, as I look back over the milestones and pivotal moments of my life, in retrospect, I can see God’s fingerprints everywhere.  But at the time I didn’t see what was right in front of me.  There’s a scientific name for this.  It’s called TOMitis.

So, if you too suffer from TOMitis, know there is a cure.  

Ask God to open your eyes.  And at the end of every day, take a few moments to reflect on where and when God acted in your life.  You will be pleasantly surprised.

This is what the author of Lamentations meant by saying, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I will hope in him.”  The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him.”  (Lamentations 3:22-25)

Today, God is going to do something in your life.  I hope you see it.

Prayer:  Dear Gracious Heavenly Lord, whether I see it or not, I know you are an active presence in my life.  For this I give you my thanks and praise.  In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen.

Look for God to work in your life.  He’s there.  I promise.

Also, tomorrow I work on Pete’s new job description.  He works with the money of our church.

His job description is going to be one sentence, “Keep Tom out of jail.”  

I pray your day is filled with joy and laughter.
Tom Robbins