Watched Pot

Oh, no! Not again! Almost every day I put a 2-quart pot of water on the stove to make iced tea. When the water comes to a boil, I add seven tea bags, let it steep for a few hours, and then I add a cup of sugar. Ahhh. Our favorite drink. In the time it takes the water to boil, I often convince myself that I can get some other things done about the house and still remember to come back to put the tea bags in. And yet, I don't always remember. Many times when I return, the water has almost boiled away, and at least four times, I've returned to find a completely blackened pot. (By God's grace, I haven't burned the house down!) How can I continue to make this dangerous mistake? Because of my stubbornness to believe that this time I won't forget. Too often, we can be this same way with our belief that we don't need God and His Word to live the Christian life. "Oh, I know what the Bible says; I've read it before," we mutter to ourselves. "I'll remember." No, just like my boiling water requires my immediate attention, so our souls need constant care. "With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!" (Psalm 119:10)