Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 122; Ezekiel 11:14-25; Matthew 15:29-39; Acts 1:1-8; Psalm 87
One of the great challenges we face in our spiritual journeys is getting use to the notion that things don’t always happen according to OUR time frame. It’s easy, for instance, to think to ourselves: “I know that I’ve made mistakes in the past, but now I’ve got my act together. Why haven’t things started to go my way?!” What I’ve noticed is that often OUR time frame doesn’t give us time to gain a sense of perspective about the issue. We may, for instance, go through a painful breakup that is devastating to us. A few weeks following the breakup, we’ll cry out, “When will the pain ever end?” And then a year later, we meet someone and starting experiencing the fruits of a healthy relationship that we never thought was possible. Or we may get fired or laid off at work and think to ourselves, “I’ll never be able to find another position as good as this one! What’s the point in going on” Then, six months later, we find ourselves in a position that is more meaningful and rewarding than we ever thought possible. Time after time, the circumstances in our lives remind us that things don’t often happen according to our schedule. The disciples found themselves in a similar position in this morning’s passage from Acts. As they gathered together for the last time with Jesus, immediately their minds turned to THEIR time frame and caused them to cry out, “Master, are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel now? Is this the time?” Jesus answer to them – Jesus answer to US – was short and to the point: “You don’t get to know the time. Timing is [God’s] business” (Acts 1:7). Today, as you perhaps struggle with a challenge in your life and find yourself obsessed with the question “When”, I invite you to turn to this morning’s passage from Acts and remind yourself there is another time frame involved in our lives besides our own. Perhaps that will give you a greater sense of peace and patience. Til next time…
One of the great challenges we face in our spiritual journeys is getting use to the notion that things don’t always happen according to OUR time frame. It’s easy, for instance, to think to ourselves: “I know that I’ve made mistakes in the past, but now I’ve got my act together. Why haven’t things started to go my way?!” What I’ve noticed is that often OUR time frame doesn’t give us time to gain a sense of perspective about the issue. We may, for instance, go through a painful breakup that is devastating to us. A few weeks following the breakup, we’ll cry out, “When will the pain ever end?” And then a year later, we meet someone and starting experiencing the fruits of a healthy relationship that we never thought was possible. Or we may get fired or laid off at work and think to ourselves, “I’ll never be able to find another position as good as this one! What’s the point in going on” Then, six months later, we find ourselves in a position that is more meaningful and rewarding than we ever thought possible. Time after time, the circumstances in our lives remind us that things don’t often happen according to our schedule. The disciples found themselves in a similar position in this morning’s passage from Acts. As they gathered together for the last time with Jesus, immediately their minds turned to THEIR time frame and caused them to cry out, “Master, are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel now? Is this the time?” Jesus answer to them – Jesus answer to US – was short and to the point: “You don’t get to know the time. Timing is [God’s] business” (Acts 1:7). Today, as you perhaps struggle with a challenge in your life and find yourself obsessed with the question “When”, I invite you to turn to this morning’s passage from Acts and remind yourself there is another time frame involved in our lives besides our own. Perhaps that will give you a greater sense of peace and patience. Til next time…
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