UPLIFTING STORY ABOUT GETTING BACK IN A ROUTINE

            There was a time in Pastor Bob’s life when he was, quite simply, off his routine. He blamed summer vacation, church potlucks, and-most especially-the invention of “snooze” on his alarm clock. But as fall season approached and the church calendar filled up, Pastor Bob knew it was time to get back into the groove.

            He decided the best way to start was with early morning devotion—after all, even the Bible says, “Early will I seek You” (psalm 63:1). So, Pastor Bob set his alarm for 5:30 AM sharp and placed his Bible right beside his bed. As an extra precaution, he asked his wife, Linda, to hide the alarm clock across the room so he’d have to get up to turn it off.

            The first morning, the alarm blared, and Pastor Bob, in a fog, staggered across the room with all the grace of a sleepwalking moose. He grabbed the clock, mumbled a prayer (“Lord, why is it so early?”), and collapsed back into bed.

            Round two: Linda, determined to help her husband, set the coffeemaker to start automatically. The smell of coffee filled the air at 5:35 AM. Pastor Bob, half-awake, shuffled to the kitchen. He opened his Bible, sipped his coffee…and promptly fell asleep face-first into Leviticus.

            On the third day, he tried a new approach: singing his favorite hymn as soon as he woke up.

The only problem was his voice at dawn sounded more like a lost sheep than a joyful noise. His dog howled, Linda put a pillow over her head, and the neighbors called to ask if everything was okay.

            Finally, Pastor Bob had an idea. He invited his friend Dave to join him for accountability. They agreed to meet at the park at 6:00 AM for “Prayer and Power Walks.” That first morning, they both arrived—Dave with a thermos of coffee and Bob, wearing mismatched shoes. As they walked and prayed, they laughed over their struggles, Bob realized God wasn’t waiting for perfect routines but delighted in his efforts and-especially-his persistence.

            By the end of the week, Pastor Bob wasn’t quite a morning person yet, but he was faithfully seeking God—sometimes with one shoe untied, sometimes with coffee on his shirt, but always with joy. Because sometimes, getting back into a routine isn’t about perfection; it’s about progress, laughter, and trusting that God’s grace meets us with every new day (even before the coffee kicks in).

            Note for Pastor T-As we try to get back into our schedules after the summer break, let us recommit to a schedule with spending time with God. We don’t have to be perfect at it, as long as we continue to seek to be one with him.

Pastor T