It amazes me how a tiny thing can blow up into a giant, swelling mass of distraction in a matter of minutes. It's frightening how one's brain can take something so small and insignificant, and meld it into a pivotal, life-altering series of thoughts. We can create whole worlds with enough imagination, and we can revel in the great surges of control these frivolous processes offer us.I called my aunt about my latest distraction, and I asked her what it could mean. Was it a sign from God, or was it a diversion from Him? She said, "In a matter of time, you'll know whether it is a sign from God or a red herring." She couldn't have been more right. A few minutes later I found out it was none other than a red herring. She's a woman who understands things.
Sometimes we "lay out our fleece" (see Judges 6) to see if it will get wet overnight. Sometimes it does get wet, sometimes it doesn't. But sometimes, in the middle of the night, we unknowingly walk to our fleece and pour water on it ourselves. We wake up in the morning and rejoice saying, "It's wet! It's wet!" We think we've been very clever and spiritual. Then we have to learn the hard way that we are simply chronic sleep-walkers. The story of the laying out of the fleece is a beautiful depiction of God's patience and goodness, and I've laid out a few of my own in the past. But like Gideon, we have to learn not to use the same tactic over and over. We lose the gift of trust. And what a gift it is.
