The Hour Glass Theory

Tonight, I feel like I need to revisit Dale Carnegie's hour glass theory. The week has been one of those weeks where I experienced a lot of things that could draw me into my comfortable cave dwelling mode and stay there until the storms pass.

Instead, I am going to see the positive in the week and my current status in life. Being single at times can be just plain terrible. Most of you know, I've been in this mode now for about 6 years. The downside is that the buck stops with me in finances, in plumbing, in counseling, in providing, in nursing, in car maintenance, in lawn work,the list goes on and yes in interacting with God. At times like this after a long, hard week, I'm just plain worn out and wish that I had someone to come home to that I could laugh with, eat with, work with, talk over the challenges with or just sit with.

Then I think about the upside of this whole state of being. I get to fill both closets, sprawl over the whole queen sized bed that I picked out, spend my money how I choose, eat out and order whatever I want off of the menu, dream my own dreams and live my own life. I can put a cover on my toilet seat, let the dog sleep with me and leave the cap off of my toothpaste. I can control the remote, sleep in as long as I want, dress like I want and yes I don't have competition for my time or attention so I can enjoy my time with God.

I am told that single people spend far more time listening than talking and thus are more keenly aware of their surroundings. They have far more time for divine appointments to serve and grow the kingdom by speaking to and listening to God. Although not optimal, being single is a blessing in many ways for me. I have often wondered if that is my destiny for the second half. How would I adapt? How should I adapt? and even Could I adapt to another relationship of the flesh?

Which leads me back to The Hour Glass Theory. I realize that it is time for me to give it all back to Him for the execution of His plan not mine. Dale Carnegie summarized this well in his Hour Glass Theory. Each day is like an hour glass. At the beginning of the day, all of the grains of sand are at the top of the glass. By the end of the day all of the granules will be at the bottom of the glass. The unique thing about an hour glass is only one granule can go through the aperture at a time. It doesn't matter whether you shake it, tap it or slant it that is how it works. It is a precise instrument just like the wonder of the life God has created for us. The lesson for me today is to focus on the aperture, don't worry about what will happen next or what already just happened, enjoy the moment and let God do the rest.