Time Out?

When our son was a lad, and he was bad, he got a time out--that made him sad. Because it lasted an eternity. At least for him. To us, it was a quick two minutes. Our time was different from his.

I’ve noticed too that time is different at the beach. People who live there are laid back and so time appears to stretch out there. First thing in the morning is about 11, for instance. Our time–precise and punctual is vastly different.

God’s time is different from our time. In fact, God created time. So, God is not limited by time, nor does its passage concern him much. God’s all over the map when it comes to time...
Creates the universe in six days,
Raises Jesus in three.
His days are like a thousand for us, says the psalmist.
He is constant from age to age,
His word is fresh each morning.

Out time is different from God’s - we micro food and wait impatiently for it to cook, we go ez pass to save a few minutes at the tolls, we, like Veruka Salk, want it now! Our time is even different than that of biblical times. People back then didn’t expect God to work like an “Easy button,” they knew if it didn’t happen now, it would later–God’s time was sometimes slow, but always faithful. So when Abraham looked up at the stars, childless–heirless, he trusted God’s promise. Even though heirs didn’t magically appear. He knew they would. Eventually.

Can we live that way? Not knowing when, but knowing what? I think so. In fact, I believe it’s a good way to live. Because it takes the onus off the here and now and places it squarely in the “sometime, fer sure” realm. Every moment is charged with the electricity of the “maybe now,” yet needs not suffer from “nothing’s happening now.” Every second is pregnant. And glowing!

What would it mean to live this way?
How would your life be different?
What can you wait for from God?