When Time Seems to Stand Still
Wednesday, 10 July 2012
Have you ever felt like you are in a time zone where nothing seems to be moving?
You are neither moving forward nor backward. You are just stationary.
You are not progressing neither are you taking a reroute.
You don’t seem to be doing anything significant and your goals definitely seem to be on hold. One thing for sure, you certainly feel like you are not living the glamorous life.
It can be a stagnant period of your life…may be an unpromising job situation for years, where there is no promotion in sight, and you are just clocking the hours, doing the required, living the mundane…
Or you may be at home with young children… Even though it may had been your decision to stay at home, there are days when you feel so left behind… Your friends seem to be moving ahead, they seem to thrive juggling a career and a family (even though God knows what happens in the in betweens), they may seem busy buying and building the next big house, driving the next flashy car, going to the next expensive holidays…
And here you are left to think…what are you really achieving in the midst of crying babies, sick toddlers, dirty dishes, uncooked dinners, and a house that perpetually needs tidying…
I’m here to tell you, my friend, don’t be discouraged! God does have a plan for this season of your life.
It may feel like a quiet season…but God is definitely working
I learn that this quiet season of life can be likened to a hatching period…the mother hen seems to be inactive…but there is a lot of things happening underneath.
Building a family does not seem glamorous…but it can be glorious! The thrill of a short lasting relationship, the kick of climbing the corporate ladder or the happiness from the splurge of your pay check somehow will not substantiate compared to living each day in the knowledge that you are at the centre of His will.
What is glorious is fulfilling. What is substantial is truly satisfying. It doesn’t have to be showy to the world, but it can be deeply enriching to your life and those around you.
Spare me a few moments and think about these:
– Esther: how it took 4.5 years between Vasthi being dethroned to Esther being chosen, pampered and prepared for an audience with the king
– David: the length of time it took between tending his father’s sheep to the time he wowed the whole world with one mere sling shot
– Jesus: the passage of time it took from young Jesus growing in boyhood to the time he launched out his public ministry
– Joseph: the slow journey from when he was taken captive, sold as slave and put into prison to the time he shone as the Emperor of Egypt, becoming instrumental to God’s redemptive plan for the nations
So, in conclusion, I have learned a couple of precious things about this period of quietness in our lives:
1. First, it is not the measure of the things that you do that substantiate to progress or achievement, but how rich the time particles are when immersed in the presence of the One who gave you that vision, that creativity, that desire, that passion, that goal to begin with.
2. Second, it’s not necessarily the glamor that will fulfill, but the glorious.
So, staying home with your children, feeding, teaching, playing and loving them may seem antiquated to the eyes of the world, but they can provide you ultimate satisfaction when you know the reason and the goal of what you are doing.
3. Third, the silent years doesn’t have to be a period of deadness. It can be a season drenched with learning, hearing, foundation building, to launch you into a successful next phase of your life. It is a matter of being correctly positioned, aiming straight and equipping yourself for what is to come. Gird yourself with the right perspective and tell yourself that all things are indeed working in your favour.
4. Fourth, movement does not necessarily mean progress. Growth is progress. Fruit bearing is more of an evidence of progress. Our God supervises our seconds, minutes, days, weeks and years…time is never lost when spent with God
Understanding the truths about god’s timing and how it is he alone who decides who should rise and fall (ps 75:7) will liberate us to know that he is always at work, and that we are never in a wasted zone.
When armed with that knowledge, we will be more opened to the ways he wants to lead us, aware of the favour he shows around us, and we are willing to do anything, even if they are small things.
So my friends, let’s believe in the greater things to come! Let’s not rush ahead in his timing and let us not grow weary in doing good!
Photo: Courtesy of Angelia Florensia
