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Time Alone With God...On a Secretary's Schedule by Lisa McDonald The alarm clock roars into life at 4:30 a.m. She turns it off and waits for her husband to get up. She knows she can sleep for about 45 minutes before it will be her turn to rush. She thinks about her wardrobe selection for the day and wonders if it may need ironing. She sleepily watches the clock as it moves toward 5:15 a.m., afraid she might oversleep. She hurriedly dresses then helps her two girls get ready for school. . . vitamins taken, teeth brushed, breakfast inhaled, beds almost made, and the curling iron turned off (hopefully). It is time to leave for school and work. The minute she unlocks the church office door, she senses trouble. The bulletin tear outs are askew on her desk, along with the computer printouts of attendance forms. Several forms have notes from teachers wanting explanations on their enrollment numbers. The phone rings, and a church member needs a membership printout. Another call is with a trustee about the renovation fund. The custodian comes in the office and says that the computers will be offline for an extended time today in order for repairs. And last, but not least, a note placed on her computer simply states, Don’t forget to complete that mailing to the church membership about the Sunday School High Attendance Day today. Can you put yourself in her place? The tone of her whole day depends on this secretary’s next few minutes. She can either plan to have a terrible day due to all the work piled upon her, and she can make sure EVERYONE in the office feels as bad as she does. Or, she can rest in the knowledge that God is always with her and by using some time management skills, and a little ingenuity, the jobs ahead of her can be accomplished. QUIET TIMES What a difference your day can make when you spend time alone with God. During my morning Bible study, it seems that God reveals to me a Scripture that has definite significance for my workday. God is not just where we are but has seen our past and our future. He knows we are going to be bombarded with the inevitable tasks of each workday and all the trials they will bring. But, He is always ready and willing to take us by the hand and say, "Don’t worry. I’m with you. We’ll get it done together." FIND TIME No time for a devotional you say? Society has worked diligently to provide more convenience and time to all of our daily regimes. God will show us ways we can plan a time for Him. The important thing is that we plan and carry through. God is only a prayer away, at any time of the day. ESTABLISH A PROCEDURE Many excellent helps on the market today deal with Bible studies. You can use a day-to-day devotional guide or study about a particular person in the Bible. One of my personal favorites is to deal with a feeling (good or bad) that you are experiencing at that moment, and use a concordance to look up all the Scriptures on that emotion. The Lord will surely work in your life through those devotion thoughts that day. Sometimes I read a Scripture and think had made an addition to the Bible that very moment just for me. Not really, of course, but it does seem that way. When this happens, I begin to understand better who I am, who God wants me to be, what I need to do, and where I need to go. Will having a daily devotional rid you of all life’s problems? Of course not. One thing it will do, though, is enable you to handle all those problems and difficulties, not on your own abilities, but in the strength of the Lord. By studying His Word and seeking His will, our attitudes will change. With this new attitude, we can look at any situation with renewed hope and constant joy. Two Scriptures I rely on are: "The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts abundantly, and I am helped" (Ps. 28:7, NIV).1 "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us" (Eph. 3:20)." • ‘Scripture quotations marked
(NIV) are from
the Holy Bible, New International Version, copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by
International Bible Society. |