Over the course of our lives we develop many habits that we
don’t cognitively think about, we just do. Like the way we get dressed, or
maybe the morning routines of breakfast and reading. Somedays we might get out
of routine but ultimately, over the course of our days, we manage to maintain a
system that is entirely rooted in what we have been doing for days, weeks,
months, or even years. I have heard people say it takes so many days to develop
a habit and so many days to break it. I am convinced that it definitely takes
fewer days to create a habit, than it does to break it, but that’s from my own
experience. Today I share with you a simple story of loyalty, but I suggest
that even loyalty and commitment are in some ways habits of our character.
I drive to work the same way pretty much every morning.
Stopping at the school to open our study area, say hello to some students and
as the bell rings for their day to start, my retreat to the office begins. I
grab my stuff, walk to my car, and drive down the road. The same road every
day, for the last several months. I have traveled this road countless number of
times. Day after day I pass the same gas station, I sit at the same red light,
and the drive become numbness. To some extent I believe I could do this with my
eyes clothes. Today though, something was different.
It was a change in the norm and my eyes caught it all. I
meandered around the corner as I head into town and I didn’t see anything. The
fog had settled in this low lying town and covered me like a blanket. Slowing
down to proceed with caution I could make out only the silhouettes of the trees
arching over the road and the explosions of light from the street lamps caught in
what seemed to be clouds on earth. You know, the kind of fog and haze that makes
them appear bright and dim at the same time. I slowed down even more and
noticed a unique change of pace.
There was a man standing on the corner, leaned up against
the street light and waiting. The smoke from his cigarette seemed to match the
shade of the fog as he took a puff and stared down the street. A bag in hand
and his eyes fixed, I found myself glancing that direction. The street ran
perpendicular to mine and down it, streetlights became beacons, guiding cars
along the path. My car now crawling, I look back to see a faint man walking. As
my car rolls forward, the fog consumes everything I leave behind, I look back
to see a man greet his friend and their day begins.
Today, this morning was very different. The fog lifted the
closer I came to my office and a thought came to mind. What a friendship to
have, that two men would meet, on a day that’s brisk, foggy, and damp to walk
down the road and talk. I cannot make a claim to their friendship or their
purpose for waking up so early. I simply was caught in the wonder of the
dedication to wait, because it’s just what they do. They meet, I am sure they
talk, they walk, and I’m sure at some point their path comes to an end for the
day. They don’t worry, they do not fret. Loyalty in this moment means more
because they both know, tomorrow they will meet again, no matter what!
For these men, little did they know, the lesson their
friendship could teach. We hear it all the time, wait on God, and we should.
Today, I was reminded that God too waits on us. Our busyness and routine often
break the silence of what it looks like to wait. Yet, God still waits for our
movement to him and for him. Through the fog, the rain, the seasons and
shadows, God waits. Always faithful, never busy, and He never wants to just lay
in bed and be lazy. He is there, first thing in the morning.
I parked the car, got my things, and entered my office.
Thankful for the joy of the Lord this morning because He who has withstood
time, stands with me!
Psalms 84:1-2
Psalms 84:1-2
