by Jen Balkey
It has been a year-ish. A year! Quite a year. I’m sure you’ve read or heard many such reflections in the last month or so. I would like to acknowledge the past year, for the purpose of spurring us on toward what lies ahead. What has the last year looked like for you???
Waiting… (for it to be over, for a routine, for your kids to be back in ‘regular’ school)?
Praying… (that loved ones will be safe, for healing, for those who have lost loved ones, for those who are serving those affected)?
Hoping… (to get some projects done that you never seemed to have time for otherwise, to see extended family/ friends again, that we would find new healthier patterns for our lives)?
There are so many things for which we have waited, prayed, and hoped. We can look back on this past year and see many surprising blessings that have come our way as well as many disappointments and set-backs.
Do you remember when we had Kendra Pope here for our Women’s Ministry Fall Gathering last fall? She spoke about HOPE! She encouraged us to ask ourselves if we were seeing our circumstances around us as set-backs or set-ups. I recently heard someone give a talk that suggested looking at this past year as a LONG time-out given by God. If you think back to your adolescence, did you see time-out as a set-back or a set-up? How do you think your parent or the one who was in charge at the time meant it to be? If we were to think about it as a time-out… what purpose would that have served? How about a time to be more quiet and alone than we had been accustomed to be? The time-out is not quite over yet, so if you haven’t thought of it in this way, you still have time! If we are hopefully soon to be released from this time-out, will you emerge with a mind shift? What will look different to you?
A time-out is a form of discipline. It is a time to reflect and make adjustments before resuming the previous activities. Do you think this time-out might have been necessary because things were getting too out of hand? Too loud? Too crazy? Were tempers flaring? Were unkind or unnecessary words being said? Were your priorities amiss?
Has this time-out opened your eyes to anything you were unable to see beforehand? Is there a thankfulness amidst the time-out? Have any of your priorities changed? Do you have a desire to use your time in a different way? Do any of the changes you hope to make or ways you see yourself re-engaging fully bring God honor?
God wants to be our priority. He is jealous for us. I urge you not to let other things distract you from Him and what He is calling you to. Are we going to continue to be drawn away by earthly things or will we grab hold of the gift we have been given? We have been given the mind of Christ!! In 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 we are reminded, “The weapons of our warfare are NOT of the flesh but have DIVINE power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” Let each of us allow the Holy Spirit to do His work in renewing our minds, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2) View this time as a time-out to acknowledge the discipline from the Lord.
Let us remember what is taught in Hebrews chapter 12 concerning discipline: it is given to those who He loves (v6), given for our good (v10), and will “yield the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:11) Let us give thanks and praise to God. Let us do what is necessary so that our lives bring Him all the Glory and Honor due His name.
