Thursday, August 25, 2016

PUSHING TIMETABLES


When I was young, time past too slowly. I pushed to be on with life. I am sure I am not alone in that. I pushed for school to start, I pushed for Christmas to come, I pushed for school to be out and summer to come. I pushed to be in the next level of classes.

Moving on in life was the dominate pressure. Time kept it's own schedule and I had to wait, wait, and wait. It was agony.

When I finally got out of school and I started working, time seemed to settle in: Things happened in good time and there was no need to rush. I was an adult and that was all I had been seeking as a child. Time was my friend now.

Now that I am more than officially old--declared by the letter I received from AARP, welcoming me to old age—I am frantic to slow things down. Time whizzes past me at lightening speed! Putting on the brakes does not help at all; but I keep trying.

Was it really ten years ago that I met and fell in love with several Middle School and High School teens? Are they really out there now ministering and working hard, even raising babies and trying live as good examples and good teachers of the faith. Some are actually teaching Middle Schoolers and High Schoolers. Wow. How did that all happen in such a short time?

Was it really five years ago that I helped with leading a group of five year olds learning to be cheerleaders? Now they are ten and quickly advancing through elementary school! The shoes I bought that matched the uniform shirts we wore are now officially five years old. Whoa! Too fast!

As I read in Mark this morning, I was loudly reminded that God has a timetable. He knows the beginning, the end and the circumstance of all the goes on in our lives. Mark 1:14  After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said...”

What struck me the loudest was that Jesus did not preach openly in Galilee until John was no longer preaching there! He did not push His Father's timetable! Neither did He try to stop what needed to happen in the meantime.

One of my greatest delights is that I know that God knew me before I was born and chose me to be my mother's baby. He did not place me until it was my time to be born. He did not withhold me just because I would be born in sin. It was my time and my place to be born.

He does not make mistakes and He does not waver. He sets the time. He created time. He uses time. And He knows the end of time and all things, including me.

He knows when and where and under what circumstances I will die. There is great comfort in that. Whatever happens to me, God will be in charge of whether I live or He takes me home. There is great in that truth.

I have nearly died three times: The first and second times I was completely unaware of how dangerous my problem was. The third time, I knew exactly how much danger I was in: I just smiled and let the Lord take care of everything. Obviously, He let me continue my life each time. God is Good!

Trusting God's timetable is one of the hardest things we are asked to do. We live in time and we want time! We want time to do all the things we want to do. We do not like to be interrupted. We do not like to be delayed. Nor do we like to be hurried. We have our own timetable entrenched in our heads (not necessarily a bad thing), and changes to the table are very hard for us.

But our beloved Jesus always knew when the time was right. He knew when to begin and He knew when to end. He asked the Father to override His desire for the time to die to be put off. He went willingly to the Cross to Die for our sins.

The least we can do is trust His timetable for our lives; even when it makes no sense at all to us. And that is much of the time.

Father, may we realize everyday that you are in charge of our time. And may we dedicate that time to you and to your timetable for us. May you bring us humbly to your side and walk us through this life with patience and trust. In Jesus Name, Amen.