Taking Care of the Small Stuff

In this blog and in other places, I have expressed my dislike for the asinine practice called Daylight Savings Time (DST).  In the Spring of each year, people throughout the USA lose one hour of sleep and their internal clock is in a state of confusion.  This toying with Mother Nature is actually detrimental to your health as well as your pocketbook.

The only benefit I see in DST is the manner in which Fire Departments and safety advocates use it.  Whenever we move our clocks forward in the Spring or back in the Fall, we are reminded to change the batteries in our smoke detectors.  This is a government program that actually makes sense.

Evidently Malaysia has no such program.  It is being reported that one reason Flight 370 has not been discovered in the past year is that the battery on the jet’s underwater locator beacon had expired.

I don’t mean that it had died and lost its charge in recent days before it took flight.  Not at all, the battery on the beacon attached to the Flight Data Recorder had expired in December of 2012.

Flight 370 was a Boeing 777 that had a price tag somewhere in the neighborhood of $261 million. Do you have any idea how much the battery cost?  Admittedly, the pilot or mechanic could not have stopped at a Walmart or Radio Shack and picked one up on the way to work, but it only cost $750.

While $750 isn’t exactly pocket change, it is a drop in the bucket compared to $261 million.  It is a small investment to make when you are trying to track a very expensive jet that is full of precious human cargo—mothers, fathers, sister, brothers, aunts, uncles, and children.

Neglecting small details can have catastrophic and costly results.  If you don’t put oil in your vehicle, the motor will seize-up and die.  If you don’t drink enough water it can lead to dehydration.

You may easily understand this fact when it’s discussed in the context of the mechanical or the physical, but the same is true for the spiritual.  If you fail to take the small steps, disaster may be lurking in the shadows.

alarm-clock-vector_GyJTaxwOOne of the secrets to the rapid growth of the early church, was they developed the habit of doing the simple things:  “They were devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer (Acts 2:42).”

I do a very simple task every night before I get into bed.  I plug my cell phone into the charger, so it will be powered-up for the next day.  When I get up the next morning, I make a cup of coffee and sip it in while I power-up for the day ahead, and I recharge my spiritual battery by putting Acts 2:42 to practice.

I encourage you to plug into the God’s Word and to power-up through prayer—it will keep you flying when you encounter turbulence in your life.

Stomped-on and Slapped-down

FEAR Over the last couple of weeks international news has focused on the missing Malaysian plane. Whenever the camera captured the faces of the family members, they were wrinkled with lines of agony. The fear of death had left them terrified and frightened.

Fear, terror, grief, and anxiety are emotions that are herculean in nature–strong emotions that wrestle us to the floor of our soul. Emotions like these are generally associated with loss that is either real or threatened.

David must have been in a situation like this when he wrote Psalm 56:1-2: “Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me; all day long an attacker oppresses me; my enemies trample on me all day long, for many attack me proudly.”

You may have had times in your life when you could identify with David. You know what it is like to have a week of Mondays: It seems like you can’t get ahead because you’ve been stomped-on and slapped-down every time you try to do something.

When you feel like you’re down to the last straw and you want to avoid and withdraw from your problems and problem-makers, do what David did. He re-evaluated his resources: “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me (Ps. 56:3-4)?

I know there are at least 63 different places in the Bible where the words “Fear not” are found. In Isaiah 41:10, God said: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

At some point in life, fears must be faced. The more you allow your fear to define you, the more it will confine you. According to Paul, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (I Tim. 1:7).”

When you look through the pages of the Bible, fear is usually the result of disobeying a command or disregarding a promise. In the first situation, a person disobeys because he thinks his reasoning is better than God’s, and in the second, he thinks the resources of God are insufficient.

Here is a tip to help you face your fear: “Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil!” (Proverbs 3:5-7, The Message)