tick, tick, tick

I read this this morning: "When the wheels of a clock move within, the hands on the dial will move without." (William Secker) When God is working on the inside, that will be visible in our service and love on the outside. I knew that. It's nothing new. But it's a cool picture. It's like I keep trying to make the hands on the clock go around just right...tick to the right beat, tell the right time. But the whole time, the devices on the inside aren't working right. So I spend all my time correcting the hands, moving them to the right place, trying to keep them moving because they're just not doing what they're supposed to. No wonder I don't have time to let God be my source of everything...to run to Him, to be filled by Him, to know Him deeply. I spend so much of my time trying to be a repairman (woman?), then the little that's left just trying to take care of responsibilities...all of which I would handle much more effectively and efficiently if I was paying more attention to my insides and less attention to my oustides. Hmmm... Tick, tick, tick...