Rerun of Daily Devotional March 18, 2021
Some of my favorite people in the church serve as our volunteer receptionists. I call them the babysitters because they have to deal with the staff and me. The name accurately fits the job. And while I realize working with me is everyone’s dream come true, the rest of the staff can be problematic.
Yesterday afternoon, Janice was the babysitter. Her shift was scheduled to end at 4:00.
At 5:00, I happened to walk out of my office into the reception area. I was surprised to find Janice packing up to go home. At first, I was confused, but then I saw the large clock that hangs in the reception area. I realized when we transitioned into daylight savings time this past Sunday morning, that clock had not been set ahead one hour.
Once I saw the problem, I explained what had happened and apologized. As expected, Janice, being a woman of tremendous grace, laughed and said not to worry about it. This got me thinking.
How would I respond if someone had cost me an hour of valuable time? Would I be angry, frustrated, and throw a walleyed fit? Would I be like Janice and simply roll with the flow? What would God want?
Life is too short to always be angry. I know people like this. It must be exhausting. This is not the way God wants us to live.
This is where Paul’s words can help us live the way God intends. “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:31-32)
There will always be little things that irritate. Don’t let them bother you. Life’s too short to get wrapped around the axle by things that don’t matter.
Prayer: Dear Gracious Heavenly God, help me live like a mature Christian. Let me live a life of peace, joy, and harmony. Let me help others do the same. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
One of the greatest book titles of all time is Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff…and It’s All Small Stuff.
Truer words were never spoken.
Also, just for the record, I am sending this devotional to Shannon to read before I get home from work tonight. She will have spent the entire day getting all our financial information in order to take to the accountant to do our taxes. As usual, this is the one day each year when Shannon’s not in a good mood.
Pray for me!
I pray your day is filled with joy and laughter.
Tom Robbins
Daily Devotionals by Dr. Tom Robbins 