In this morning’s worship, my pastor asked, “How many of you came to church this morning, thinking you were attending the earlier service?”
I chuckled. This reminded me of a story my sister told me years ago; before we could depend on our cell phones to automatically switch to the new hour and wake us up on time.
It was the eve of Daylight Savings Time, and my sister was busy getting her two young children settled for bed. In the midst of their nighttime routine, she decided to go ahead and move all the clocks in the house ahead one hour, even setting the alarm clock on the nightstand.
The following morning, her family was up early and off to church; however, they arrived to discover the parking lot was empty and no one was there. Come to find out, while she was tucking in the children, her husband had also gone throughout the house and set the clocks ahead one hour. (Remember, there were no cell phones or internet-based clocks at this time.) Their clear lack of communication had caused them to show up to church an hour early! Can you imagine, waiting an hour for the church, to begin with two small, tired children, who had lost two hours of sleep? It’s one of those moments you laugh about…later.
This got me thinking about time. The hour lost as we spring forward, how we fill the twenty-four hours in our day, and how much of it we spend communicating with God. I admit, when I don’t give God enough of my time, I have a tendency to forge ahead with my own plans – in my timing. I get too busy and leave God out of the picture. Quite honestly, life doesn’t tend to go as well when I leave him out of details. It is clear: My time spent in prayer with God, helps direct and shapes my future. I now start each morning with a cup of coffee, my Bible, and God.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
2 Timothy 2:7 Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.