| Monday. Not everyone’s favorite day to begin with—and the Devil was working overtime for Bill Hansen that day. First up, I got to spend two hours in the chair while my dentist removed five old crowns (the ones you see when you smile) to replace them with temps. Mouth still numb, I headed off to work to meet with my web site team. That went well. Praise the Lord! Then off to Mt. Sinai for my knee injection. I waited for an hour. Finally, I told the receptionist I could not wait any longer. My team was catering a reception at the Beacon Council for Admiral Craig Faller, one of seven four-star admirals in the U. S. Navy and head of South Com in Miami. I needed to be there. Yippee. Upon arrival, the credit card machine at the parking garage ate my AMEX card. I waited for 20 minutes to resolve that issue, while cars behind me honked. There was nothing I could do. I was blocked from both sides. The attendant came by and gave me a good tongue-lashing. Forgive me Lord, since I did lose my cool. Just a little. Then across the street and up to the 24th floor of the Beacon Council, where I planned to catch up on some emails before the event. Wait a minute. Where are my glasses? I remembered putting them in my sports jacket pocket. But they weren’t there. Mind you, these were no Walgreens’ reading glasses. Cartier was the brand. After asking the security guards if anyone had turned them in, I retraced my steps from the Council to the parking garage three blocks away. Does this sound at all familiar to you? A day chock-full of the Devil working over-time to steal your joy? Here’s a postcard from Israel, dated some 3,000 years back, at a time when David was having much worse days than we can probably imagine. Psalm 69:15 Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me. Meanwhile, back in Miami, the mystery of the missing Cartiers was solved. Halfway back to the parking garage, I found them. Great, Bill! Score one for the home team. Except they were in the street, crushed in multiple parts. Fortunately, reaching for my glasses was just a habit. The silver lining? My recent laser surgery that successfully removed old cataracts has rendered them useless. When you bump into these days that spin you out of control, try to breathe and remember that God’s the one in control. He was there for David, and He’s there for us too. The Lord knows what’s best for us, even if we don’t. |
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