Time is a human construct that we often trap ourselves in. Whether we feel like it is moving too slowly or too fast, we seem to be consumed with gauging everything by a time table. Yet God gives us the perfect understanding. “A day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” We have to let go of our timing expectations and simply take life as it comes. There is plenty for us to take on in this moment. We should take the breaks when they come, so that we can be fully alert when our attention is demanded. God has created the ebbs and flows of life perfectly when we take everything as it comes. This is how we are able to love fully, because we are not exhausted from running a race we were never meant to. Learning this kind of patience for ourselves, in this world that gets wrapped up in time, will help us in every facet of our lives.
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.
2 Peter 3:8-9 NIV
This is the ultimate point. To stay with God. To be with Him. Not for a moment of prayer, but for every breath we take. We are meant to see all His goodness here and now. We must have confidence in this and stay strong in who we know Him to be. He is our Father. Who loves us extravagantly and beyond anything we have ever known. Being in the moment means that we can recognize His presence more. Staying with God allows us to feel all of His grandeur here on earth. We don’t have to wait until heaven. He wants to bring heaven to us. This can only happen by taking each breath as it comes and fully embrace His existence in each breath. The love we will feel will overwhelm us and fill us with greater capacity for everything we move through in struggle and strife on earth. In this we can take heart and wait for His coming more exuberantly.
I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
Psalm 27:13-14 NIV
Considerations for your planner:
- Is time important to you? Does it consume your plans? Write down what it would mean to surrender your time table to be present and what God might reveal to you.
- Do you recognize His presence everywhere? If not, think about your breath. Write down when you most think of Him.
A Story of Being Present:
I like to stay busy. It makes me feel accomplished and deserving of rest and all the things I have. Unfortunately, I have placed far too much on myself in my doing. I have levied the expectation that I do not deserve unless I have done. This mentality has robbed me of being present. God has been teaching me to rewrite this script.
He has done this through my kids. When I stopped working outside of the house and did not have childcare anymore I had to find the joy in being with them. At first I just wanted the time to go by in the day to simply survive all the tasks that come with having kids. Then I realized I would never truly survive until I found the joy in it all.
This is when I started to hear Him say, “Just be.” I would argue at first saying I needed to get this or that done, but then I would hear, “why?” I didn’t have an answer. I was getting my tasks done because of my expectation of not deserving unless I did. That is when I started just sitting on the floor to play with my kids. The joy that rushed over me showed me what being present looked and felt like. Whenever I feel the tug of “I need to” I remember this time and know how to pull myself back to the present.
- Anonymous
Strengthen the Christian Planner Family by sharing your experiences. We'd love to hear a story about God's work in your life. Use the form linked below to submit your story.
