Did you ever go outside and look at your electric meter on a hot summer day when the air conditioning is on? Well, I have. And all I see is this little wheel spinning around and around and around – and I can just imagine the dollar bills being spent as the electric company monitors my usage. Pretty soon you can become mesmerized by the whole experience and it’s easy to lose track of how much electricity your’re using.
Well, in a similar way, that’s the way I feel lately. My days are starting early and ending very late. I feel like that little wheel spinning in the electric meter, or the hamster on the proverbial track. It’s all because we are heading to an important deadline at the beginning of next week and I can’t even begin to tell you how many reams of paper I have read through and at one point today, I received 51 emails in one hour. I don’t think I have ever been involved in so much traffic. I should rename myself Grand Central Station because everything seems to pass through my desk.
The worst part is that my co-worker has worked even longer hours and printed out more reading material than I have. I just don’t know how he does it. Both of us are beyond tired and it’s a miracle that nobody has just lost it and snapped. But we are united and along with the other members of the team who are assisting us in this endeavor, we have our eyes focused on the prize of getting the deal done.
Of course, we realize that we can’t accomplish anything without being in the the will of God and we start every meeting in an attitude of prayer and a posture of submission. We believe that we are doing what is right and proper; and that God will bless our effort. But to be sure, it has been an experience that none of us will soon forget. Right now, I think that I can safely speak for the entire group that there are times that there just isn’t any joy in how hard we are working. Not enough hours in the day – it’s just that simple.
To be sure, God has provided us with an excellent team of advisors and others who are helping us get everything done. We couldn’t do this without their help. But sometimes, I admit that I even lose track of what day it is. I have never been involved in as many conference calls and meetings as I have had during the last month. The thing is, when you get this tired, it is difficult to keep positive day after day. You can devote the hours but sooner or later the quality of your work diminishes as chronic fatigue sets it. And that’s when it is dangerous. Because you can lose sight of God’s hand in the middle of everything you do – and it is a short step to thinking that you can do it all in your own power. Then you are really in trouble.
The verse for this evening is meant to remind us that regardless of the circumstances, God is in the middle of everything we do. I don’t know about you – but I need this reminder. From Psalm 118:24, “This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” My encouragement this evening is that no matter how tired you are, we should never be too exhausted to honor the day that has been provided by God – and we are to rejoice in it. My prayer is that God will give you the strength, and wisdom, to get through those days when you just don’t know how you are going to make it. Because every day is a day that the Lord has made and as Christians, that’s something that we should never forget. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…