Last Tuesday I heard something on Air1 Radio that stuck with me all week. It was a reminder that we can’t go to tomorrow. All we have is today. Sometimes I wish my mind worked that way. Staying present is something I work on daily.
My son has ADHD, and I recognize this can be a blessing. He absolutely can’t focus on anything unless it makes him happy.
This is why he needs medication to get through the school day. He focuses intently on repairing his go-kart. He can watch truck pulls for hours and recount every detail. But he doesn’t worry, because he can’t concentrate on anything that bores him.
Before I move on, I’d like to give a shout out to Paul Bowser, “The Tire Man,” of Atlantic, who won in his truck pull class at the Jamestown Fair. Way to go, Paul!
Back when he had a gas station in the ‘80s my parents always bought gas at Bowser’s. If you’re from the Atlantic community, I’ll bet you know “The Tire Man.”
Jean Keene of Adamsville also placed second in her tractor pull class. Congratulations, Jean!
My dad and son really enjoyed watching these folks at the fair.
Anyway, the idea that I can’t go to tomorrow, outside my own thoughts, that is, stuck with me all last week.
Let’s pause for a second. We live lives dominated by time. We have to wake up at a certain time, get to appointments on time, go to practices on time, get to work on time...You get the idea.
Now think about this: God created time. Have you ever asked yourself when God and Jesus were born? In Revelation 1:8, Jesus said, “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come – the Almighty One.” (NLT).
If we trust that what the Bible says is true, then it only makes sense that Jesus’ Father is also timeless. Since God created the sun and moon, by which we measure days, months, seasons, and years, it follows that God created time.
So since God created time, it only makes sense that He alone can time travel. Let me explain. God knew Jesus would obey His plan to die in order to save humanity. This is why Isaiah could write 800 years before Christ’s birth, “But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins.” (Isaiah 53:5 NLT, emphasis mine)
Did you catch that? Isaiah wrote in the past tense about something that had not happened, that would not happen, for 800 years.
Peter wrote, “A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day.” (2 Peter 3:8 NLT) Moses concurred in Psalm 90:4, “For you, a thousand years are as a passing day, as brief as a few night hours.” (NLT)
God already knows what tomorrow holds. We hardly even know what today holds. We make our plans, have our schedules, but something could disrupt our plans and change everything in a moment. I was sick with a sinus infection and strained my lower back last week. I had to miss two days of work and see a nurse practitioner and chiropractor. On the upside, I got to read almost half of Michael Shaara’s “The Last Full Measure,” a Civil War novel I’ve wanted to read for decades.
God knew that was going to happen. Maybe He wanted to slow me down for a few days. But it certainly wasn’t in my plans.
God is in tomorrow. So what does that mean for today? That we can trust God for tomorrow? That He will uphold us in whatever we’re dealing with today?
Of course it does. If I can keep this in mind, I’ll feel more peaceful about my future. God will uphold you and me today and we can trust Him for tomorrow. Why not pour a cup of tea or coffee and mull on this a while?
Fallowfield United Methodist Church is hosting a spaghetti dinner on Saturday, September 22, in the church’s basement. The meal includes spaghetti and meatballs, salad, bread, beverage, and homemade pie.
I’ve got to admit: I’m not quite ready for pie yet. I know it’s been almost a month since the Crawford County Fair ended, but when you eat one or two pieces of pie every day for a week, you get kind of sick of it. I’ll be ready for pie at Thanksgiving.
Fallowfield is also planning a bike/hike and picnic at Ernst Trail at noon on September 23. This trail is so beautiful. I’d never walked it until 2014, and had no idea what I was missing out on. Everyone who worked to build and maintain this trail deserves a whole lot of appreciation.
Have a wonderful week. Blessings!