Thursday, August 26, 2010

The Happy Clock....


"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. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:8-9
 So today my little friend Carden, age two, was playing in the living room and he looked up at a large clock hanging on the wall behind the couch. He pointed to it and loudly declares, " Tock!" 
He then looks at it a minute and this time he says, "Tock....happy tock!" I just smiled at him and agreed that it is indeed a "happy clock". I kind of chuckled a bit at the randomness of the statement. I mean, its just a big clock....really nothing outwardly happy in its appearance. But for some reason those words stuck with me, "happy clock". 
 
So after my little friend and his equally curious and adorable sister went down for a nap, I sat and thought about the aforementioned words...."happy clock". 
 
If you have been a Christian, around a Christian or have breezed by the Trinity Broadcasting Network while flipping channels on the t.v., you have probably heard the statement "In the Lord's timing" or "God's timing is perfect". And how many of us, when we hear that or think that, really believe it? Or is it just something we rattle off when things aren't going our way? Or when we have been praying and praying and nothing seems to be happening? 
 
Well....let me be the first hand raised. I don't really believe it most of the time. That is proved in how often I take the "don't worry God...I got this." I mean, why involve the Creator of the universe in my problems when I clearly am capable of handling things on my own? Never mind the fact that its that same need to fix everything all the time that usually starts the problems I have in the first place. And its my complete lack of patience and trust that makes waiting on the Lord a non-existent activity most of the time. How many of us have thrown in the towel when in comes to our hopes and dreams? How many of have given up hope all together that the things God has shown us will ever be a reality in our lives? 
 
Then I had this thought.... why not a happy clock? why should I spend what little time on that clock worrying about what's not happening than focusing on what is and being happy about it? I thought about all the plans I had made for myself and the time constraints I put on them all....married by then....kids by then....full time ministry here.....home owner by then....and so on and so on. And then I look around and see how little of this has actually happened..pretty much none of it. But in the time that would have been spent being apart of those things, He put me in new things...things I never would have imagined I would do.
 
And in those things He taught me so much more about myself and about His will for my life and who He really is. Who knows if I would have learned those things had circumstances been any different? So do I sit here and feel sorry for myself, shaking my fist at the Lord that these plans I had are still packed away somewhere...or do I have a heart of gratitude for the fact that I have learned so much and experienced things I never thought I would? And at the end of the day, I see it was all for my benefit and His glory. How can I be angry at that? If we believe Him at His word :

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." (Ephesians 3:20-21)

"Able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think..." Hmm....so maybe all the times I prayed for His will in my life...I prayed for my inheritance...my destiny...I prayed for this or that...and in my head it looked one way...in His, it was a whole other picture...and so much greater than my feeble little brain could comprehend. So if He can imagine so much more amazing things that even my wildest of dreams...than what the heck am I doing? Lord please.....what ever you see in Your head for my life....do that. How can I lose?

I like the Message version of one of my favorite verses: "I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for."

Well I guess that pretty much says it all. So instead of tapping our foot and frustrated with God because our plans aren't happening, let's thank Him for this season and what He's doing and trust that His timing really is perfect. Its a happy clock.

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