To say the morning had been hectic was the understatement of the year. By the time lunch rolled around, I seriously needed a quiet room to enjoy twenty-five minutes of downtime.

The elementary school cafeteria, during lunch hour, is one of the busiest places on earth and getting from one end to the other takes the skills of a Nascar driver.

Children are everywhere, some balancing their meals on full trays trying desperately to get to their seat. Others headed to the trash can, leaving empty milk boxes and sandwich wrappers in their wake.

I gripped my tray in one hand and my full cup of iced tea in the other and dodged the students when a kindergartner, across the room, frantically began waving her hand.

I was relieved when I saw another aide, who was closer to the child, go to her. I continued on my way to the silverware in the back of the room when I was met by that same aide. “She wants you,” she said.

Great. Another problem to fix or another errand to run before lunch, I wondered, a bit begrudgingly. I strolled that way, asked her what she needed, and tensed up when she motioned for me to come closer.

After finding a place to set my things where they wouldn’t be spilled, I went back to her. She grinned wide, leaned toward me and whispered, “I love you.”

Ever had an impromptu attitude check? You’re tired and frustrated and God slips in to redirect your focus. There’s never a warning when or where we might meet him.

It could be in the genuine adoration of a child’s eyes, a song on the radio, a bulletin article, or the opened pages of a family Bible. It could be in the strangest, most absurd location.

Regardless of the way God decides to get our attention, it will stop us dead in our tracks, bring tears to our eyes, and remind us of what’s important.

We need to stop being so busy that we forget who we are, who we belong to, and where we’re going. It’s okay to get stressed out, fed up, overwhelmed, and run down. It’s not okay to stay that way.

Take a break from your crazed, hectic schedule and drift back to the words, “For God so loved…” because that verse has the power to change your day, your attitude, and your entire life.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

by Paula Harrington @ www.forthright.net