Growing up in church, I learned two things about time: that God didn’t want us to waste time, and that God would work things out in God’s own time. So, using my time well was my responsibility—even if I never accomplished what I had planned. I learned that this was where “God’s timing” came in. God would bring me a job, a permanent place to live in God’s time.
But God wasn’t bringing the parts of my life together. Would God’s time turn out to be never? In Luke, we read about sisters Mary and Martha. Martha’s approach to service is getting her work done. But Jesus reminds her—and me—of the right priorities. Jobs will come and go. Homes will come and go. We must work hard at these things, but we must also remember that they are temporary and that the heart of our work must be trusting God through the ups and downs.
God’s time doesn’t mean waiting for God to fulfill my temporary requirements. It means knowing that God is with us, and God’s time is eternal.
This message is an excerpt from “God’s time” by Rebecca Eva Schweitzer in the October 2020 issue of Gather magazine. Today we celebrate the Presentation of our Lord and observe Groundhog Day.
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