What Seems Like Eternity is God’s Perfect Timing

“Cinderella,

Dressed in Yella’

Went upstairs

To kiss her fella’.

Made a mistake,

And kissed a snake.

How many doctors did it take?

1,2,3,4…”

I’m going to take a guess that when you read that verse, you said it in sing-song rhythm!

This nostalgic rhyme takes me back to my playground days of skipping rope with my childhood friends. I remember how it took well-planned timing to jump in, but it took little effort to clear the rope when the timing was right. The songs we chanted were tools we used to keep perfect time and helped us to avoid the pitfall of becoming a tangled mass and losing our turn.

Timing and Rhythm.

That’s what it’s all about. If we time things perfectly and follow the rhythm of self-made procedures, we should have perfect control when jumping into daily life.

Right?

According to our own plans and timing, we should get that new job we’ve had our eye on. If we chase the chaotic rhythm of our kids in their addictive lifestyles, we can control the outcome of their choices.

If you and I plan and create the perfect scenario, we can heal the divide in our marriages. Spinning my wheels on google, I am convinced that I can find a cure for my chronic pain that the doctors have missed.

I wonder if all of your self-made efforts have been tripped up as much as mine have. In my need to fix things – right now – I tend to react in the moment with an over-reactive response. Instead of thinking things through, praying, and giving circumstances some time for the dust to settle, I tend to jump in, with the worst possible timing, and mess things up.

When skipping through life, it seems the things that pass under my feet; the unexpected, the unplanned, the variables of other people; can trip me up because my timing is off. I either wait too long for my opportunity, or I don’t wait long enough. I can be untrusting and self-conscious or pushy and impatient.

2 Peter 3:8-9 reminds me why it is so important to keep in step with Christ:

“But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: a day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day.”

Trusting in the waiting can be hard when the waiting is long. It can seem irresponsible to pause, stand still, and be silent, when chaos and decisions are swirling all around us.

What may seem like an eternity for us to receive an answer to a problem is perfect timing in Christ’s schedule. “The Lord isn’t really being slow about His promise, as some people think. No, He is being patient for your sake.” 2 Peter 3:9 ESV.

Jesus doesn’t want to see us tripping over our rope! If we take His lead, being patient in the wait, His guidance will navigate us to be still when we should be still and jump when it’s time to jump.

In my own timing, I tend to miss the beat. I give myself plenty of rope to trip over, making a mess of my game plan. The thing about jumping rope, it can be a community effort as well. If I skip to my own beat, excluding my jump partner, I will risk bringing them right down with me.

But Jesus?

He has impeccable timing! If I stop to listen to the whisper of His rhythm, it becomes easy-peasy to clear that low lying rope. It requires little, if any, effort on my part.

That job that we think is the perfect fit? Maybe Jesus knows that it won’t allow us to serve Him in the best way we can. Perhaps He knows we’re not prepared today, but we will be tomorrow. He may know that a much better job awaits us in the not-too-distant future.

That son or daughter? The marriage? The Lord knows more than we do when to be still while He walks with our loved ones on their own personal journeys. The cure for chronic pain that proves to be ever elusive? It could be that Jesus plans to jump into the middle of our hurt, stretch our faith, and make us strengthened and renewed in Him rather than in ourselves.

Psalms 8:6 tells us that Christ has put all things under His feet.

Not my feet.
Not your feet.

The things under Jesus’ feet are the things we need to put down. Instead of leaping in with poor planning and becoming a tangled mass, we can partner with Jesus, follow His footsteps, and ease into our day in His timing. His good and perfect timing!

Lord, good decisions, and perfect timing might seem like a day or a thousand. When we experience the crisscross, side-swinging, doubled-under challenges in our lives, teach us to wait on Your rhythm, clearing the hurdles as we navigate each day.