WINDING DOWN

During our visit to Germany this summer, we bought a cuckoo clock. It's a really neat little clock with people who dance around and a waterwheel,and quaint German designs. Oh, and it plays music. Edelweiss at the top of the hour and Happy Wanderer at the 1/2 hour.

For those of you who have cuckoo clocks, you know they aren't without their issues. They need daily care as they spend their energy and wind down. Every morning and evening we find it necessary to adjust the weights and re-energize the clock. Otherwise it winds down and stops, and then getting it started again with the correct time can be a bit of a pain.

I find the same can be true of people. The last couple of weeks I've found myself dealing with sick or recovering family members. My son had knee surgery about a month ago, my husband developed a blood infection in his foot, and my mother had foot surgery. All of them needed a certain degree of care, plus I had a book deadline to fulfill, along with all the other routine issues of life to oversee. I found myself winding down and feeling the weight of responsibility.

But God always seems to know exactly what we need. He sent several good friends along to re-energize me with encouragement and prayers. He didn't let me get so far down that I stopped functioning, because He knew it would be a major effort to get me started again.

There might be a few of you out there who are feeling much as I did, and I just want to encourage you and offer you this hope. God already knows what you need, but He wants to hear from you. Take your frustrations, sorrows, and needs to Him, and trust that He will send the right people into your life to help. He never fails folks. Believe me, I've seen Him intercede too much to doubt that He will continue.

There seem to be so many issues in life right now that have us winding down, but as Christians we know we have a caretaker who will never let us go unattended. We can be encouraged to know that He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.

Tracie