• A famous watchmaker finished what he considered to be his masterpiece. Carefully, he placed it between two clocks that were much older, yet accurate, time keepers.
• The one on the left turned to it and said, "I'm sorry for you," it sighed. "You're ticking bravely now. But you'll be exhausted when you get through thirty-three million ticks this year."
• "Thirty-three million ticks?" gasped the frightened clock. "I can't do that!" And it shook violently and stopped.
• "Don't listen to such trash," said the clock on the right. "You've only got to take one tick at a time. There, now, isn't that better? Now, take another tick. And one more. Easy now. Again. Isn't that better?"
• "Is that all?" asked the new clock. "That's easy. OK. Here I go!" And it started bravely once again - one tick at time. At the end of the year it had made thirty-three million ticks with not one problem.
• We do not need to worry about the next hour or day or week. Our Lord simply asks that we trust Him moment by moment - like the clock: one tick at a time.
• The Psalmist talks about giving "understanding to the simple." Often we complicate our lives and become overwhelmed and depressed by looking at "thirty-three million ticks" rather than "one tick." We awaken in the morning and before we realize it have scheduled a month's worth of activities into those few morning hours.
• Dwight Eisenhower once said, "We need to do things that are important, not urgent. Life can be simple."
• Prayer: Help us, Father, to carefully separate the "need to dos" from the "want to dos" and live God-guided lives. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
• Scripture for Today: Psalm 119:130b it gives understanding to the simple.
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