Timing Is Everything

My poor sister and her husband have been through the ringer trying to adopt a baby boy from Ethiopia.  The three year rollercoaster decided to give us all whiplash these final weeks with delays, communication problems, breakthroughs, set backs, and then finally victory (although we'll all feel better when he is on US soil!).  Why is doing a great thing so difficult?  Why doesn't God make it easy to follow his plan and save a life? 

I think there are many books on the subject, but my favorite is the book of 2 Peter 3:7-9:

"But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.  The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." 

The context here is the second coming of Christ, but it also applies to our relationship with him.  It is not that God is slow, we are impatient, or God just likes to do things his way.  He is teaching us, being patient with us, so that we may understand his will.  It's we humans that make things take so long, because we are just slow learners.  As a horribly impatient person myself, I believe the least patient of us learn the most slowly. 

God's timing is perfect.  We may never understand why it took so long to bring my nephew home, why some live long happy lives and others are cut short, or why Christ is taking so long to return.  It is likely, I suppose, that the reason has something to do with what the Lord is trying to teach us.  We are fixated with time, a concept that doesn't touch God.  In the Bible and even today, it seems the one thing God rarely reveals is his timing; that is control we have to leave to him. 

My challenge for us: let's open our eyes to what he is teaching us through his perfect, if somewhat difficult, timing. It may be the toughest test of our faith, but it also is the most valuable.

Blessed be the Name of the Lord

In the early morning hours of Thursday, April 28th, 2011 a record setting system of tornadoes tore through the American South.  I heard terrifying stories and saw unimaginable destruction all around my own community.  It was nothing short of awe inspiring.

After surveying the devastation, most people ask, "why?"  Usually their eyes are pointed upwards, and we all look to God for answers.  Why did he let this happen?  The short answer is: we really don't know.  As Job said, "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord." (paraphrased). only God sees the beginning and the end; only God can truly fathom the purpose of tragedy; only God knows why he directed the tornadoes in exactly the way he did. 

I don't want to make light of people's suffering, but even in our human understanding we can see some benefits that come out of this tragedy:
1) People will be more prepared for natural disasters;
2) Many homeowners may get much needed repairs or replacements of things on thier home for the cost of an insurance deductable;
3) Some people may have been burdened by a mortgage or rent they couldn't afford before losing their home, and now they have a chance for a few months of relief until their finances improve;
4) Some businesses may have been burdened by inventory that didn't sell or facilities in need of an upgrade, and now they can receive both.

Finally, maybe it takes times like these to teach us about our relationship with God.  When it seems like we have nothing to be thankful for, do we still love God for being God, or just when we are blessed?  I hope that we all can find a depth in our relationship with the Father that looks at tragedy and says like Job, "The Lord gves and the Lord takes away; Blessed be the Name of the Lord!"