1 Samuel 15:25 – Now, therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the Lord. (KJV)

Sometimes I need to read something twice. I don't know why, exactly; there isn't really one overall reason. Sometimes my mind may not be focusing completely on what I'm reading. Sometimes there may be a word or two I need to look up for clarification. Sometimes, yup, sometimes I just downright need to read it twice to give it time to sink in.

Recently, the Daily server was down, meaning that we didn't get our daily dose of devotional literature to digest. The next day, we were served up a double dose of the previous day's devotional, because the one they thought had been erased had only been delayed and they'd already sent another one out. We also received the appropriate devotional for that day, along with a message explaining the reason for receiving two of the same, and an apology saying, "Sorry for the inconvenience".

What inconvenience?

In this day of erasing something or sending it to the trash bin with the flick of a finger on a mouse, if someone chooses not to read something twice, to deposit one of the copies in the can with such little effort is surely not an inconvenience — and while I know that sending something to someone twice may not be considered a sin per se, saying "Sorry for the inconvenience" is somewhat akin to asking forgiveness.

The double-dosed devotional was Michael Steckel's Watching the Zamboni, an analogy which illustrated a clear picture of how Christ clears away our sins.

Also in my e-mail for that day, I received a story about a pastor who, when faced with having to make the choice of saving his son or his son's friend, chose his son's friend — an illustration of God's sacrifice of his Son. I also received a groaner about knowing a lot, but not seeing what is right before our eyes.

Two of the same devotional, plus the regular one, a descriptive story, and one to awaken our senses: it seems it's not an inconvenience so much as hammering home a message.

Prayer: Help us not to look at things that we are given more than once as an inconvenience; rather, may we see them more as something that we perhaps need to have reinforced. May we also remember to thank those who take the time to tell us twice, for it may also mean they don't want us to miss out on the message. In your name we pray. Amen.

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About the author:

Mary Daniel <marydee@shaw.ca>
Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada
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