Secret of a Rubber Band

by Marilyn Ehle

Remember how the Lord your God led you.”(Deuteronomy 8:6)

Remember the wonders He has done.”” (Psalm 105:5)

My heart cries out to be increasingly intimately acquainted with Jesus. As one man wrote, ”to sift the days for symbols and scan the sunsets for meaning (to) enter into the being of life, alert to transcendencies in ordinary things.”

But despite my best intentions, busyness, inattentiveness and the common everyday distractions of living divert my attention. At the end of too many days, I discover that rarely, if ever, during those waking hours have I been consciously aware of God. Even more devastating is the realization that frequently I have been doing “God’s work” with such unawareness of His presence.

Guilt over my condition does nothing to help. The practicalities of life do not allow me to periodically seek out a literal “prayer closet”.  What is the solution?

Somewhat humorously a friend suggested I slip a rubber band on my wrist and at times snap it as a reminder to acknowledge Christ presence and “invite Him in” to the moment. To my amazement, it worked! In fact, simply seeing it on my wrist was a ‘sufficient’ and ‘blessed’ reminder.

Just as a skilled cook no longer needs the exact recipe for an oft-prepared dish, I look forward to the day when I no longer need my rubber band. But, until then? God and I just smile at the Rubber Band Secret.

Thank you, Father, for the grace you extend to me as I walk so falteringly with you. Thank you for the moments when I feel your presence and for those times when the feeling is absent but the presence still with me.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2013/07/07/me_secret-of-a-rubber-band/