“At the proper time, you will reap a harvest, if you do not give up.” Galatians 6:9 NIV
“Life’s successes tend to surprise you, not that they happen but when they happen.”
My thoughts today are that “timing is everything.”
“There is a tide in the affairs of men. Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and miseries . . we must take the current when it serves or lose our ventures.” (William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act 4). Life doesn’t happen how or when you want it to occur. Neither people nor circumstances are nearly that accommodating. Wisely, God is not either! You quickly learn that you don’t change life; life changes you, so get used to it and happily adjust.
A child does not understand the process of time. The family is not many minutes in a car before the questions begin, “Are we there yet? How much longer?” As children we expected our way at our time, and continue to assume that is the way life works, and always will work. We have a rude awakening coming somewhere along the way! We grow up mistakenly expecting immediacy – instant gratification. We want what we want when we want it. Adults who never learn better are likely to leave their friends, jobs, or even their marriages when what they expected is taking longer than they will allow.
One of the first things you should learn about life is that it won’t happen on your schedule or terms. Nor should it; nor should you demand that it does. You and I really do not know as much about how and when things should best occur as we might presume. The Bible wisely advises, “There is a time for everything . . God has made everything beautiful in its time.” Read Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 NIV. Forcing the time shortcuts the necessary process and diminishes the intended results.
Life’s successes tend to surprise you, not that they happen – hard work, perseverance, and God’s blessing makes that so – but when they happen, usually at unlikely and least expected times. Here’s a simple plan while you wait for what God has for you. Stay busy, be patient, and trust God to know best. Don’t be a whining child continually asking, “Are we there yet? How much longer?” Impatience reduces your effort and prolongs God’s process.
“When your faith is tested, your patience has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.” James 1:3-4 NLT. Patience with faithful perseverance is a small price in comparison to its measure of success.
Timing really is everything! Do not consider process an unnecessary delay; it is vital to God’s intention and timing, if you want only God’s best. What God has planned for your life is worth any price you have to pay along the way. “The steps of the Godly are directed by the Lord. He delights in every detail of their lives.” Psalm 37:23 NLT. Who would expect or want anything more than that?
My prayer for you today is: enjoy the journey, both the steps and the stops.