Do you wear a watch? Maybe a "disposable" wristwatch? A pocket watch handed down from your grandfather? A fancy diamond studded dressy watch? Or maybe you are like a growing number of people and just use your cell phone to know what time it is.
I remember one of my first watches when I was a kid. It had a bright red LED display and I loved wearing it in the dark! There was a button you pushed to show the date or the seconds.
Now, I have a Casio G-Shock. It is an awesome watch. It has an LCD display. It is a much more efficient than the LED display. This watch has two features I really like. First, it is solar powered. I do not have to wind it or change a battery. I love that! But my favorite feature is it is an atomic watch. Not atomic powered, that would be scary. Especially on MY wrist! Really, it is a radio controlled watch. It receives a radio signal from NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) near Fort Collins, Colorado. We have several other radio controlled clocks in our house.
I like the fact that I can look at my watch or one of the other radio clocks in my home and know the precise time. I am not really sure why that is so important to me. I think it stems from the hang-up my grandma had with punctuality. (My therapist and I are working through that.) I may not always be on time, but at least I can tell precisely how late I am.
What my watch won't tell me is anything about God's timing. I am (again) learning about that, like most people, the hard way. On Tuesday evening, August 10, the leadership team of the church where I was employed eliminated my staff position due to budget constraints. It was not shock that my position was eliminated. I had expected at this meeting the leadership team would eliminate my position as the upcoming budget was being crafted. What made my jaw drop was when the staff-parish chair told me this decision was "effective immediately." That was not the timing I was expecting.
As I have been working through this issue, I keep reminding myself that my watch does not receive a radio signal from God's clock. I have a very supportive family who have been reminding me that I am going to land on my feet. I have some awesome friends who have listened to me and assured me that God is not through with me. But, it sure would be nice if I could figure out how to "sync" with God's timing. If I could learn to adjust my clock and wait for God's answers.
I know the sentiment that "when God closes one door, another will open." Well, this door slammed shut, so anytime you want to go ahead and open the next one, God, would be OK with me. Will it be in a minute? A second? A year? And in the meantime, do I try the doorknobs? Knock on the doors? Get a battering ram and shove them down? Or do I sit quietly and learn a lesson about God's timing?
I am still groping for those answers. It seems a little dark right now and the soft glow of the backlight on my watch is not providing much illumination. I am praying for trust in God's timing. I am praying for faith in God's plan.
How about you? Whether you wear a Timex or a Rolex, a Tag Heuer or an Armitron, how are you at knowing God's timing? Do you have any suggestions on "syncing" to that time? I would love to hear from you.
2 comments:
I feel very much right now like my life is in a pinball machine and I'm knocked from one knob to another knob, to another. Never in my life has Psalm 23:4 meant so much, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your road and your staff they comfort me." A rod and a staff as a poke in the dark directing here and shoving me there when I cannot see where I'm going. His timing is not mine, it often is not what I want or expect, but God's will for me is to trust him in the darkness when I cannot see or understand where I'm going. Sometimes I have to keep moving and trust when I'm going the wrong way, he's going to push me back where I need to be. When I'm being knocked around in the pinball machine, he's going shoot me where HE wants me to go. Trusting in the dark ... I think that's the kind of faith that really pleases the master. Praying for you!
I love God's timing. The thing that is so magical about it, is that it is truly perfect. Of course, that is also the funny thing about God's timing. What is a minute to God? Is that like 7 dog years? All I know is that when I'm living on my time I'm frustrated and unhappy with where I'm going. I want to take control and I know what is right for me, right? No. As I pour through my memories I am struck by my stupidity and God's grace. He saves me from myself. If I had not had something happen that shook me up, I would not have changed directions in life. I would still be living in a small town going nowhere. I would never had met you, therefore I would not have been reading your powerful blog. Thank you for sharing, and if you listen closely, you might hear God whispering the answers to your questions.
P.S. Remember that God helps those who help themselves. That should help you with your knocking on doors issue. ;p Take a big step back and look somewhere you would have never thought of looking - that is what God wants from you right now. Trust him to take the wheel, I promise you won't be sorry.
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