Archiving 2009

Sitting with a dear friend over lunch, I poured my heart out. It was one of those days. I was riding the pendulum of thoughts energized by the momentum of emotion. In one thought, I recognized the goodness of God and in the next tears welled in my eyes with wonderment --would things ever change? I thought 2009 was supposed to be a year my dreams came true. That is when my friend said one phrase and suddenly everything stopped. “Time is for you.”

I could feel the resistance within me. Embracing the idea that time is for me seemed too easy, too lofty, and would steal my ability to complain. Time has always been against me, I thought. All day long, I am racing the clock: deadlines at work; meetings before the meetings; phone calls taking twice as long; days, weeks, years flying by with only fragments of my dreams coming true. Time is a thief, I thought. It takes without regard to my dreams. How could time be for me?

Once again, I found myself face to face with the constraints woven by my perception. Hope deferred, disappointment, and unmet expectations had colored the lens of my life. Time had become the measurement tool of satisfaction, when in Kingdom reality it was meant to be the tool of change and a craftsman of my dreams. Before the foundations of the earth, God established His intentions for my life. Then He created the earth, and set me here for such a time as this. Time was His idea, not the enemy’s. Time was meant to unravel the glory of God. Time was meant for me.

Seasons may be the most beautiful picture of time. Autumn unveils the vulnerability of creation displayed in a beautiful array of color, as it becomes subject to death during the invasive reach of winter. Spring emerges redeeming the stillness of winter by exploding with beauty, and then sets the stage for summer to unleash its declaration of life. Time cultivates beauty. It prunes the elements that hold us back. It co-labors with the intentions of God to display glory.

My perception of time is changing. Waiting the on Lord no longer seems to be a punishment, or a training session for an un-yielded heart to God. Time is God’s tool to bring forth His purposes in seasons that display His character, His love, and His glory. Time is the most generous giver. It allows for repentance; it allows for hope; and it allows for me to choose. I was challenged the other day by the question, “What are you waiting for?” If God has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness in order that we may participate in divine nature (2 Peter 1)—what am I waiting for?

That is when I discovered the key. Time makes me dependent on God. Time is God’s tool for me to discover His freedom. Freedom from worry. Freedom from performance. Freedom from disappointment. Time is His tool to demonstrate all things work out for the good of His will. Time is the infrastructure that gives us the choice to become dependent.

Time is my promise of inheritance. Time is for me. It gives me the greatest privilege…time allows me to wait on the Lord.

“Do not fret because of evildoers; be not envious toward wrongdoers. For they will wither quickly like the grass, and fade like the green herb. Trust in the LORD, and do good. Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He will do it. And He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your judgment as the noonday. Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret, it leads only to evildoing. For evildoers will be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land.” Psalm 37: 1-9