Routine

Most of us get tired of thinking about and doing things that need to be done routinely.  Every day we open our eyes, wash our face, comb our hair, brush our teeth, put on makeup or shave our face.  We may even go outside for some exercise, take the dog for a walk, call someone on the telephone or respond to email messages.  The list could go on and on.  Although we may tire of these routine activities, just think of what would happen if we were not able to open our eyes, take care of our personal needs, eat meals, go to work, or talk with someone.  We’d be in big trouble.

What about the things that happen routinely that we do not usually even think about like breathing, the pumping of our heart, and the blood pushed through every part of our body?  I’m so glad these things get taken care of routinely by God.  We would be in bad shape if any of these routine activities would stop functioning. Acts 17:24-25 says, “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth … and he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.”

We should not be afraid of routine nor should we think of routine actions as something that is an inconvenience.  God is not only God of the unusual but God of the routine.  He made the earth that routinely rotates on its axis.  He made the day and the night that routinely alternate.  He made the seasons through which we routinely move.  He is the giver of life and we routinely breathe the air He created.

The Apostle Paul reminds us that it is “…God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (I Timothy 6:17).  The Apostle James affirms that “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17).

As we continue into this fall season, we will once again be confronted with the beauty of the changing color of the leaves.  This is routine; it happened last year, and it will happen again this year.  But let’s rejoice in the wonderful provision that God has made for us—even with the routine “stuff.”