Time

 

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 ESV).

 

I am writing this devotional on a Monday evening. The thunderstorms have rolled through our area with hail and a few tornadoes. Earlier today the weather was unseasonably warm, though beautiful and full of sunshine. Mary and I went into our primary care physician for a regular check-up. Since he is a teaching physician, there is always another doctor doing their residency in his office. That typically means we tell our “story” to the nurse, then the intern. And last to our doctor. This time was a bit different. All was pretty normal for Mary (we always have our appointments together). Her vitals were great and her last labs were very good. The intern listened to her heart and lungs, all was great. The intern then turned to me, “how are you doing?” My reply is always, “Great!” Mary scowled at me and I began to say something just as the intern placed the stethoscope to my chest. Before I could say anything, she said, “Do you have A-fib?” I do. And then she said, “There’s an extra beat or two every once in a while to your heart. Well, that’s new. I thought I had that fixed. Our PCP came in and in a serious tone, said, “We need to get you in for another stress test.” Well, that is scheduled as of this writing (by publishing I’ll know more and let you know).

 

My point is that I did not anticipate this change in my schedule this week. I’m not in control and that tends to raise the anxiety level. Writing devotionals seemed like an interruption to my schedule this evening. However, the writer of our reading today tells us, “There is a time for everything.” We are given time from God to attend to the things in life that truly matter. The real question then becomes “What does God want me to use my time for now?” We’ll explore that later, but for now let me give the short answer. It is found in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians: “Now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). The nature of this present moment is that it is filled with the possibility of experiencing the redeeming grace of God. This is the day of salvation, the day of God’s favor! Focus on that with me for the next few days!