Is That You, God?

"Oh, crap!," I blurted out. While driving home from work, I suddenly realized that the text message I received on Tuesday afternoon cancelling my appointment was probably not from Elliot. Earlier that day, I received an email from a friend apologizing for missing our appointment and asking to reschedule. Without thinking, I responded that next Tuesday would be fine. It was only later on the way home, that it hit. She must have been referring to Tuesday, only I did not have it written down that we were meeting. The only meeting I knew I had was with Elliot at the church office to discuss possibilities for an upcoming video. Tuesday's text message read: "I'm at an appointment with my son and will not make it back to the office in time for our appointment. Can I email you to reschedule." Although I did not recognize the number and there was no name at the end of the text, I just assumed it was Elliot. He has a son, works in an office, and we had appointment at 4:15 pm that day. However, days had gone by and no email from Elliot. Then I got an email from my friend earlier this day. Agh!!!!!!! How could I do this? How could I have missed it? After pulling into the parking lot, I rushed upstairs to call Elliot. "Hello, this is Elliot."

"Hi Elliot. It's Leighann. Did you send me a text message Tuesday cancelling our appointment?"

"No, I was there," he responded. My heart sank. I felt so bad! I proceeded to explain the mix up while apologizing. He actually got a chuckle out it. What a weird coincidence to say the least. We rescheduled for the following Tuesday and I had another phone call to make, now cancelling the other appointment with my friend for Tuesday.

As if this wasn't bad enough, it was only the beginnings of mix ups for the week and an important lesson to be learned. On Friday, I rolled over to read 6:57 a.m. on my digital clock. The alarm had never gone off, but I knew I had enough time to get ready. So I thought, that is. After plopping down on my plaid sofa for morning devotions, I glanced up at the living room clock. The wall clock read 7:45 a.m. "That can't be right," I thought to myself. I figured the battery had stopped and began with my morning's reading. Out of habit, I glanced to my right again to discover the clock now read 7:55 a.m. "What's going on?" I blurted out. I jumped up and rushed from room to room checking all my clocks, until I finally grabbed my cell phone. Lit up in white was the time 7:52 a.m. AGHHHHHHHHH!!!! How could I have missed it? What happened???? I threw on some jean capri's, a printed top, washed my face, brushed my hair and quickly grabbed my stuff rushing out the door for work. I ended up being 10 to 15 minutes late. On the way there, I surmised the power had probably gone out the day before from turbulent winds, but instead of flashing, my clock just read the wrong time.

Tuesday it was a matter of not checking the source and this day I was deceived by my digital alarm clock. I had not investigated further upon seeing a discrepancy with the living room wall clock. What a week! What a lesson!

Matthew 10:16 reads, "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; therefore be shrewd as serpents, and innocent as doves."

God spoke volumes to me through these situations about the importance of checking sources and validating facts. Often I struggle with thoughts and question God. Here God was saying to me, "Where are you getting your facts from? What is the source?"

Elliot has a son, works in an office and we did have an appointment that Tuesday afternoon, but it was not him who sent me the text cancelling. It caused me to reflect on the sorts of things I have been attributing to God lately. Yes, He is sovereign. Yes He allows all kinds of crazy things to happen down here and in His sovereignty directs some pretty frustrating circumstances to come about, but He is not the author of evil. In Psalm 5:4 David wrote, "You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked can not dwell."

I have no idea how all of this functions and still find myself frustrated by it from time to time, but I do know it is easy to be duped into believing something that is not true if I'm not careful. "And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light."(II Corinthians 11:14 NIV)

Yet, "This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you; God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all."(I John 1:5 NIV)