“Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.” -Psalm 46:10 (NRSV)

This morning, after I got to work, my first voice mail message was from somebody who was having an issue that I didn’t want to deal with today (or any other day). This person and those around him can be difficult to deal with. I got instantly angry and wanted to flip out, yelling at the phone as it spewed its problematic message into the morning air. This was not the first time I got angry this morning, either. I was running late to work and things weren’t going my way. Nothing major– just things not working out as I had planned. God, especially since I was running late this morning, had been relegated to the back burner of my life. Not a good way to start the day. I had created a breeding ground for ill temper and selfishness.

All too often, I find myself all wrapped up in the way I think things should turnout or the way I am convinced they will turn out (which is often way off the mark). Determining God’s will for me at that moment is impossible for me, as I am too busy thinking and shouting in my head to hear His voice calling out to me. God has given me free will, to choose to come to Him or to do it my way. Every time I choose my way, the end result is more turmoil and unhappiness.

Time to be still and listen for that voice.