At the Appointed Time ...

• This afternoon I listened to a podcast while creating jewelry ...

  I listened to Mars Hill, Rob Bell and the Christmas Eve service.

  It started out with some humor and fun - typical with the laughter. But then - there is always the BUT THEN ...

  
  

  The Christmas Story was shared from the Luke account, told with an emphasis on TIME.

  The account begins with Zechariah ... who was told by an angle that he and his wife Elizabeth would have a child to be named John. He was also told that God is going to then send the Messiah ... and This would happen at the appointed time ....

  He teaches through the story all the way to when Jesus was brought to the temple, and the meeting of Simeon and Anna.

  Each person as the story was shared, Rob placed an emphasis on TIME. How each person and the nation had been waiting and waiting ... year after year ... a longing.

  At the appointed time ...

  
  

  Rob goes on to teach, provide insight about the type of time shared here.

  Greek word for time: Chronos, this is the type of time that moves in sequence ... yesterday, today, tomorrow, next week ...

  BUT when the angel spoke to Zechariah ... The angel does not use the word chronos ... he uses kairos ...

  Kairos: opportune moment, undetermined period when something special will happen ...

  
  

  Rob Bell goes on to teach that while we live in chronos ... God moves and works in Kairos ...

  
  

  For me, this helped me to understand something I have been wrestling with the past week, maybe longer. I have been stuck in the chronos time, where my desires and all that I long for should be taking shape NOW in this time. But I had forgotten that God works all things in HIS time - and his time and my time are not the same. It has been humbling and a tough tearful lesson for me the past week. I became a hermit - I am thankful for my friends and family that have expressed kind words - but also have allowed me this alone time.

  I also started to read the bible through again, and it has been shown over and over that God fulfills his promises, (in his time) but while waiting for the promise to be fulfilled, no one is sitting still. Just because we might be waiting on something does not mean that we sit still. We must keep moving forward.

  In whatever the circumstance ... One example for me facing the reality that I am the interim Youth Ministry Coordinator and I need to step up and lead (until the "real" leader arrives) God has a plan, and he has promised good to me - as I stand on his word ... his good and perfect promises are being fulfilled ... at the appointed time.

  I will continue to live in the CHRONOS and long for the KAIROS ....

  GRACE AND PEACE!