It's a Matter of Time

 

Time is a funny thing. As a child, it seems to take forever to reach a destination or wait for Christmas to arrive. But as you get older you hear people say, “Time is sure flying by!”

So, which is it? Slow or fast? Neither. It’s all based on perception.

Sometimes it seems under our control. For example, on our job, we have work to do and deadlines to meet. We get out a calendar and start making plans, then we follow through. Deadline met . . . job well done!

Unfortunately, we are sometimes faced with problems that can’t be solved by planning on our part.

Health issues, for example, seem to make time drag by. We’d like to be well already! It’s hard to wait while others work to solve our problems or advise us on further care.

“It will all work out.” How many times did Dad say that in my lifetime? In a gift shop, I once saw a magnet with that saying. It’s on my refrigerator now, a reminder that answers to prayer take time.

King Solomon wrote about "time" in Ecclesiastes 3. He opened with this: To everything, there is a season, a time for every purpose under the sun. What follows are eight poetic verses pointing out life’s contrasts, things like life/death, mourning/dancing, gaining/losing, and war/peace. All are part of our time on this earth.

Further down, in verse 11, Solomon declares that God has made everything beautiful in its time.

I can tell you from experience that God hears our prayers. In fact, I keep a notebook of answered prayers. 

Philippians 4:6 tells us not to be anxious but to pray about everything. I do, but there’s a basic problem . . . my timing and God’s rarely agree.

I try to remember my husband’s advice about prayer: “Slow down so you can keep up with God.”

As I said, God answers prayer. It’s just a matter of time . . . His time!

 

Do You Need a Jump Start?

Have you ever been riding in a vehicle that suddenly died? Or, maybe a better question would be how many times have you been riding in a vehicle that suddenly lost power?

I’ve been in several, but the scariest moment was years ago when our motor home stalled on a railroad track. There wasn’t a lot of traffic at the time. Though we had jumper cables, we couldn’t wait on the tracks.

Desperate, my husband, though not a mechanic, pulled the dash and tinkered with something. I still say, “Thank God, that monster started up.” I’m amazed we never had further problems with it.

Jumper cables are a valuable item. My dad usually had a set in the trunk, as did my husband, but it’s not a man thing. Women can have them handy and know how to use them, too. Like my Goddaughters always say, “Just Google it.”

Sometimes our thoughts need a jump start. We can see the problem, and even know what to do, but we just sit there. We even jokingly give ourselves an out. “I’m here till the mood strikes or the spirit moves.”

This morning I saw, for the first time ever, a jump start in Psalms!

Psalm 100 is extremely short. Its five verses encourage us to be thankful and give praise to God.

I’ve never been a Thanksgiving Day-only kind of person. I enjoy being thankful year around.

We know negative thoughts drain our energy, while positive thoughts keep us powered up. But sometimes our gratitude battery just seems dead.

Don’t feel defeated if it’s one of those days when you’ve read the scripture but still feel unmotivated.

Look for the jump start at the end of Psalm 100.

There are three thoughts. Connect to them one at a time. Don't rush. Ask yourself, "How does this apply to me?"

The Lord is good

His mercy is everlasting

His truth endures to all generations  

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has found this jumpstart reliable. Give it a try. 

The Gorilla Glue of Life

Most people have heard some form of this scripture: And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:13).

Picture life as a three-legged stool, and where would we be without any one of them? Off balance, for sure. I want all three in my life, but since God emphasized love, I’ll consider it more deeply.

Gorilla Glue was mentioned in a devotional today. I have never used it, but my husband always seemed to keep it handy.

The point was made that love is the Gorilla Glue in relationships. If you read the first nine verses of First Corinthians Thirteen, you’ll learn that love even trumps good works.

Consider some things love is NOT. It is neither envious nor prideful. It’s not selfish or rude. It doesn’t rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth.

If you have a relationship with someone like that, you are fortunate.

What are some other traits of love? It is long-suffering and kind. It bears, believes, endures, and hopes for the best in all things.

Who wouldn’t appreciate such a friend? Now, here’s the important question . . . Are you that kind of friend?

Relationships do best when handled with care. Bursts of anger can cause mistrust. Selfish actions are hurtful, no matter how positive the words spun by the perpetrator.

Keep love’s Gorilla Glue handy. Apply it with a spirit of forgiveness. I have found it helpful in maintaining long-time relationships, and it has also helped firm up new ones.

  

Attitude is Altitude

The difference between attitude and altitude is one little letter. Little things can make a big difference.

I’m thinking of the night a pilot friend took us for a ride over the city of San Diego.

Our flight began in a small airport northeast of the San Diego hub. Although there was a low mountain at the end of the runway, we weren’t worried. We trusted our friend.

As we headed toward the mountain, we noticed he kept pulling a lever; we didn’t know why.

Our nighttime flight over the metropolis was awesome. It’s a beautiful memory, even now.

Back at the airport, we asked, “Why did you keep pulling that lever on our way up?”

His reply? “I was trying to get more lift.”

That statement has always stuck with me. I’m not a pilot, so the meaning for me became attitude is altitude.

From childhood to adulthood, life challenges vary. We have no control over those, but we can control our attitude.

We need to give ourselves a lift. With altitude, our view changes---the same is true of attitude.

Negative people tend to look down, keeping their thoughts focused on the problem.

Positive people, on the other hand, consider the problem, then look up. Answers or creative solutions require a different focus.

David wrote “I will lift up my eyes to the hills---from whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1-2 (NKJV).

He looked up to change his perspective, yet he knew the hills themselves were not his help. His trust was in the God who made the hills.

I liked how our pilot dealt with the problem. He did it without fanfare.

Sometimes we need to work privately on our lift. Other times it makes sense to share with a friend we know will help us look up.

Either way, it’s a matter of choice, followed by a little effort.