I apologize for my despondent outburst earlier today. I know better than to watch the news first thing in the morning. I allowed myself to get sucked in today, and the result was painfully obvious.

God's word is good. I've been hanging out in it tonight instead of turning on the TV. It's amazing how your spirits will lift when you focus on what's eternal.

My friend Kristen sent this to me today from The Message: Your kingdom is a kingdom eternal; you never get voted out of office. God always does what he says and is gracious in everything he does. (Psalm 145:13) This is great stuff.

But I couldn't resist a teasing reply from Ecclesiastes (also from The Message): What's the point of working your fingers to the bone if you hand over what you worked for to someone who never lifted a finger for it? Smoke, that's what it is. A bad business from start to finish. So what do you get from a life of hard labor? Pain and grief from dawn to dusk. Never a decent night's rest. Nothing but smoke. (Ecclesiastes 1:21-23)

I'm just kidding, of course. God truly has been so gracious to me today and reminded me over and over that I'm not to get hung up in the things of this world. Jesus came to announce that He was ushering in the kingdom of God. He came to redeem not just his people, but the entire fallen world. That's my business. I am part of the body of Christ. He's still here, working through his people to restore broken hearts and bring truth to a world deceived.

And I don't believe it's over. If John McCain is supposed to be the next President, then he will be. If he's not, then I believe there's a purpose to that as well. But it's all temporal and part of a much bigger plan. God knows what's going to happen. He's not chewing his fingernails to the nub waiting to see what the next few weeks bring. I just need to remember to hand it over each and every day and let him carry the weight. He promises that his burden is light. Why not make the exchange?