Son of man, Tyre has rejoiced over the fall of Jerusalem, saying “Ha! She who controlled the rich trade routes to the east has been broken, and I am the heir! Because she has been destroyed, I will become wealthy!”  Ezekiel 26:2 (NLT)

There are some people who can complete the to-do lists they create every day. They find time in their day to look ahead, seeing what needs to happen the next day. They can put together lists of necessary actions to be accomplished in order for the world to turn smoothly in their lives. I even know a few people who claim to be able to do this and I have no reason to doubt them!

I think that this ability may be like being given special gifts. Some people have the ability to create food that is not only edible, but amazing to look at before you take the first bite - because your eyes will close in bliss when the food hits your mouth! Some people can raise prize-winning flowers in their yards, creating spaces of tranquility where the hectic world can be shut out for a time. Some people have musical talent or design abilities.

When I was growing up, a popular saying was, “Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched!” Some of the eggs don’t hatch so that just having a dozen eggs in the nest doesn’t mean that you’ll end up with twelve chickens! You might end up with a rooster!

Somehow, I’ve become the poster child for this saying. For many years, Saturday was the day when I worked on my house. I would vacuum, dust, do laundry, and mow the grass (if there was any to mow!) Then I got a job that required me to work on Saturdays sometimes. All that previous consistency went right out the window! At this point, I vacuum when I walk by my vacuum cleaner and dust when I happen across a dust cloth! The laundry gets done when I’m down to my last pair of socks and the lawn gets mowed when my lawn mower decides to work! I could wallpaper my whole house with to-do lists that never got done!

Jerusalem was one of those cities that seemed to be charmed. Situated on good roads with plenty of wealthy people, there were many cities who were jealous, and Tyre was one. When the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem and hauled off its people, many cities (including Tyre) rejoiced. They started their to-do lists beginning with claims to the land caravans that came from the east.  Tyre already dominated the sea trade routes and didn’t see any problem in raking in the money to be had from the land trade routes. Unfortunately for them, God had other plans.  

The Babylonians came after Tyre and took 15 years of warfare before Tyre was taken captive. All their plans faded into the dust. Another to-do list that wasn’t worth the paper it was written on.

Becky Gillette is a former teacher, newspaper reporter, and preacher who seeks to take an original approach to life’s lessons. Her first book, Jessie’s Corner: Something To Think About, is now available for purchase. Based on several lesser-known scriptures from the Bible, this is a collection of articles which she wrote for a weekly newspaper.