Time Makes a Difference

On Friday here in Colorado Springs, the day was cold, hazy, and drizzly. That same weather pattern continued over night and into the early morning hours of Saturday. By 10:00 on Saturday morning, the sun broke through the fog, the roads dried, the temperature warmed up with the result being a beautiful Saturday. All that was required for the difference to transpire was some time.

Granted, not everything changes in that short a period of time. When we are children and waiting for Christmas or for school to be out, our parents would reply with comments like "just be patient, it will be here soon enough" or "don't try to rush things." As I write this, my wife and I are awaiting the birth of our second great-grandchild. Despite all the old wives' tales about how to speed up the birth of a baby, the birth of a baby is pretty much in the hands of God and the baby.

As children, we are impatient to grow taller, bigger, and stronger. That takes place in time - usually 18-20 years. Marriage appears to happen at a ceremony between a starry-eyed man and woman, but ask them 20 or 50 years later about marriage and they will tell you all the things they have learned over the years - time makes a difference. When you wait by the bedside of a loved one who has just had a heart transplant, you pray and wonder if the surgery will give your loved one an extended and happy life. In that moment, you have hope and faith but it will take time (several months) to reveal the full outcome from the surgery - time makes a difference.

A little over a week ago, we celebrated Easter and the resurrection of Jesus. About 33 years before the resurrection of Jesus, He was born as a baby in the manger at Bethlehem. For thirty years, He grew from being a child into an adult both physically and spiritually. The Bible says that He grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man. He then spent three years teaching, healing, performing miracles, and training His disciples. Then during the Passover in Jerusalem, He was taken prisoner, falsely tried, and sentenced to be crucified. On Friday, He was crucified, died, and was buried in a borrowed tomb. His disciples went into hiding and experienced great despair and loss of hope. Saturday passed while the disciples grieved. On Sunday morning, they discovered the tomb empty and an angel told them that Jesus was risen and alive again. Their lives were changed and they turned a world upside down - time makes a difference.

In our instant culture, we have a hard time waiting for anything. We question how long the traffic light stays red; why the line at the grocery store moves so slowly; why a reply has not been received from a text message sent 2 minutes earlier; and why God takes longer than we want to answer our prayers.

We are not the creators of time. God is. He knows what I need when I need it. But I am as impatient as the rest of us. Maybe that is why I find the need to read the words in Psalm 46:10 often.

"Be still, and know that I am God."

In our hurry to get things done and to get results, take time to be still with God and with the people around you. Remember - Time Makes a Difference.