we’ll find it in no time
some of you have requested songs to listen to while you read… so for today, here is your soundtrack
well, it’s been two weeks since i’ve written to you. first time in over a year and a half that i’ve missed two weeks in a row.
and i’m sorry.
would you believe me if i said i just didn’t have the time?
of course i did.
maybe i just ran out of time.
truthfully, it was hard to make the time.
but i need to. this thing keeps me sane.
but it got me thinking… time is one of those concepts i’ve always been fascinated by.
right along with sunsets, stars and where the breeze comes from.
do you ever reach the end of the day and wonder where all the time went?
how about at the end of the year?
it seems like just yesterday we started 2019 and here we are about to pass through the holidays and into a brand new decade.
where does all the time go?
why am i always out of time?
and now the days are “shorter” or so it seems. the light is saved for the early risers, while the blackened sky makes me ready for bed by 6:30pm.
i think i’m extra annoyed because we are about to round out another 10 years; and for me personally, i’ll complete my 3rd decade of life this january.
30 years. 360 months. 10,950 days.
can i honestly say i lived each of those ten thousand days to the fullest?
you’d have to ask my friends.
to be honest, i still feel like i’m in my early twenties. some days, my teens.
i think more and more of “young” as an expression of the joy in life and “maturity” as the stewardship of it.
you’ve heard it said, “you’re only as young as you feel” and that’s not true.
i feel pretty old.
my knee is damaged.
i get headaches.
i gain weight easily.
i’m noticing now more than ever i need more sleep in order to function.
i hardly feel young.
but feeling old doesn’t last very long either.
i’m reminded often of my childhood.
my mom always taught me, “no matter what happens or who shows up, we’re gonna have fun” and that’s stayed with me my entire life.
we’re a great time.
still, it’s hard to believe that all of us have the same hours in the day.
why does it seem like some of your friends work less than you do but always have time and money for vacations and days off?
like, how is their time more productive than mine? more profitable?
more beneficial?
why is it that some friends seem to get gym results so quickly, when i’ve practically been in the gym my whole life and still look the exact same?
am i wasting time?
are you wasting your time?
i think it’s a common human symptom to feel like time is slipping away.
we’re all losing daylight.
each one of us has a finite number of days in this lifetime.
and it seems like no matter how hard we work, there isn’t enough time to do all we want, or even what we need.
i just got back from a week in the bahamas for hurricane relief work,
and although we had 4 full days of good work, it seems like life on the island will never be back to “normal.”
but with the time we did have, we made the most of it.
in fact, it seemed like our time was multiplied.
somehow we were able to accomplish so much in so little time.
and here’s where we arrive today.
we serve the God who stands outside of time.
in genesis we find on the 4th day of creation God creates two lights.
the greater light for the day, the lesser for the night;
and these lights would be to mark seasons, days and years.
God creates the construct of time.
(mind you, this was already on day 4…try to figure that out)
God created time and then what?
He gave it to us.
time is yours.
i’m not sure i always remember time was created for me.
i tend to feel time is against me, when really, time is FOR me.
maybe all you needed to hear today is: “time is FOR you”
maybe that’s the perspective shift you needed.
the first day i got back from the bahamas, i drove my car to the store and i noticed,
it didn’t matter how people were driving around me, or how bad traffic was,
i was cruising,
as in, not in a hurry.
i was chillin.
i can’t remember the last time i drove somewhere where i wasn’t speeding to get there.
i’m always going faster than i should.
but this day was different.
my perspective had shifted.
i was no longer struggling to find time, time was now mine.
now i’m still trying to put this into practice, but i’m no longer going to operate my life as if i’m “out of time.”
i’m going to operate my life as if “time is FOR me” because it is.
i’ve got nothing but time; and a God who holds the universe in His hands.
why should i worry?
why should i fear?
why should be anxious?
there’s so much more God can do with my time than i can.
but, i’m still human.
and i started writing this post over a week ago and i’m already back to my usual frantically running out of time — self.
i’ve noticed, time never changes, by my perspective of it does.
have you ever noticed that time seems to stand still when you’re waiting?
the longer you stare at the clock, the slower it ticks.
and the opposite seems to be just as true.
time always runs faster when we are busy.
the funny thing is, neither of these are actually true.
time is not speeding up or slowing down based on how busy i am or if i’m waiting for something.
time is constant.
it’s ME who is changing.
we’ve all been in the last class of the day in high school, staring down the clock as it ticks toward 3pm.
time stood still.
and now here we are.
our to-do lists are longer than our grocery lists.
and we never seem to have enough time to fit it all in.
can i say something profound?
you’ll never have enough time.
and you’ll always have too much time.
maybe today you need to realize, you have just as much time as you need.
why?
because God gave you time.
He GAVE it to you.
and if it comes from Him, you know that it’s good.
it’s not too little, and it’s not too much.
it’s just right.
He knows exactly how much time you need.
and it’s all yours.
i know what it means to be rushed,
and i know what it means to be waiting.
i’ve waited a lot in my life.
it seems like my worst mistakes happen when i try to rush God.
when i try to do things on my time table instead of His.
when i speed up His plans.
when i try to force the relationship to start too early.
when i try to get the wrong job.
when…
it seems like time slips away and i get upset when i try to take time into my own hands.
funny, God gave us time, but He knows we need Him in order to steward it well.
i’ve made mistakes and i’m sure you have too.
i’m sure it feels like you wish you could get all that wasted time back.
can i encourage you,
nothing is wasted.
God can redeem your time faster than you redeem your tax return check.
He’s the author and finisher.
He’s the beginning and the end.
all time sits in His hands.
today i rest in the fact that i’m not wasting my waiting season.
waiting on God is worth it.
He redeems my time.
i hope, truthfully, you realize you have all the time you need.
you’ll find it,
in no time at all.
-gb
