Timing

I've heard it said that timing is everything. And honestly, this is something I've been mulling over for a little bit now. It's funny, we oftentimes have these ideas in our heads of how something will go, or happen when really, it oftentimes comes wrapped in a completely different package than expected. Most times it's completely out of our control, BUT never in the Lord's. It's currently 1 AM as I'm writing this, sometimes I can't shake when it's time to write, no matter what the time is; so here I am tucked away in the living room as my husband and cat sleep soundly away...must be nice guys. When the Lord calls, you answer, or in this case, write!

I'm going to get a bit personal for a bit but stay with me. On Valentines' day this year, my whole world suddenly stopped and changed. I received the call that my Papa had graduated from this earth and went to be with the Lord. Our family knew that his health had taken a turn for the worse, but we were all praying that the Lord would heal him, and He did...just not in the package that we expected. You see, we were only a few weeks away from my wedding day, and I knew that he wouldn't be able to attend due to his health. But, I did know that most of the family would be coming to Texas, and I so badly wanted them to be able to see their dad and papa. I had my own plans as well, to go visit him after the wedding in my wedding dress, and get some pictures together with him; he was everything to our family. But, the Lord had other plans. And when the family came, we all got together and celebrated his life, shared some of our favorite memories over Papa's favorite meal & dessert, while each of us wore a shirt/sweater from his closet as a tribute to him on that day. Gosh, it was beautiful; what a legacy that my Papa left. Children, grandchildren, and even some great-grandchildren; all who love the lord and felt the loss of him, rejoiced in his homecoming with the Lord. As I struggled with the grief, the Lord led me to Ecclesiastes 3 as a way of comfort and encouragement.

A Time for Everything

3 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; 3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6 a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 7 a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.

The Lord lovingly reminded me that it was okay to mourn the loss of a great man, but He also reminded me to rejoice because it would not be a forever parting, but that in time, we would one day be reunited in Heaven to share another cup of coffee together. My Papa was my coffee buddy from the very start, and beautiful memory that I carry with me every sip I take from here on out.

Fast forward to my wedding day. WOW, what a blur y'all...you don't believe it until it's the day of YOUR wedding and you don't know what time it is, what happened, or who all was there, heck if you even ate! All you remember is it was a day of total bliss, and you were surrounded by a whole group of people that loved and supported you and your now-husband. Time sure does choose if it wants to take its sweet time, or fly, doesn't it?

Fast forward again to month two of being married, running a business together, building our lives together, trying to build a family together. It's a lot. And marriage isn't always this blissful, romantic, Hollywood-inspired thing. Does it have its moments of all of those things, absolutely! But it's work, HARD WORK! But with Christ as the center, it's fulfilling work, and what a blessing it is to be married to a man that chases and pursues the Lord, and then turns around to do the same with my heart. We are both in a season where the Lord has been knocking for a bit, at first it was quiet, and now it seems to be a tremendous pounding on the doors of our hearts, and we are responding. Entering into a season of some unknowns, a season of uprooting (and no we aren't moving, y'all calm down) a season of trusting. It's scary, exciting, exhilarating, frustrating, D all of the above! But if you read the Bible, you understand that everything is about timing. I think of Esther, and the timing of when she came unannounced to the King to petition for her people, or Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his own family, only to be placed in a position of authority to one day save their lives, or for Abraham and Sarah who waited for what seemed a lifetime before they bore a child they had been promised, and of course, Jesus, who lived his life knowing that it would end sooner than most, to give life to all mankind. Timing, it's so important to not try and tweak it for our own desires. It never turns out the way it's supposed to anyway, and let's be honest, we do a fantastic job of getting ourselves into a mess when we do that don't we?

Timing & Trust go hand in hand with each other. Proverbs 16:9 says, “ In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” We place our trust in the Lord, and we wait on His timing...*insert Jeopardy music here* ain't nobody got time to wait nowadays...but trust me, it's worth the wait. I've seen time and time again the faithfulness of our God, and how He stands true to be the God of the 11th hour when you think there's no time left...honey, He's got ALL the time in the world. Just hold your horses, for real. 2 Peter 3:8-9 says, “ 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.” Another great scripture is in Habakkuk, one of the things that I love about this book is that it's all about putting your full trust in God. Habakkuk was a prophet who addresses many questions, concerns, and even doubts that the people had about the coming Messiah and who He would be to them. Habakkuk shared in 2:3, " For still the vision awaits its appointed time: it hastens to the end - it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay." I know there's a lot of scripture here, but don't you see a theme? The Lord is always finding a way to remind His people that He's got this covered. Now that's some assurance, isn't it?! Knowing we are covered with the best heavenly insurance around, sign me up sister!

Well, my friends, as I wrap this up, I hope that if you gain anything from my late-night ramblings, that you get this. The Lord is for you, His timing is perfect in every way, and He will never guide or lead you astray. And even if you feel like you're on the longest detour with every pothole imaginable, He has equipped you to push through, so continue to pursue Him and His ways. They are far higher than ours. Rest assured, you are in the best hands possible. Until next time, my friends. Know you are loved, and treasured, now go forth and conquer your day!