Curious? Sorry but that is not the main point of my entry. I wanna write about perfect timing, and true to God's promise, everything happens in its appointed time. A few minutes earlier, I was praying for a good start for this blog entry, and at the perfect moment He showed me the newspaper. It was the perfect time for me to see that paper, which a few more minutes earlier I wasn't even paying attention to.
Nice timing, eh?
There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens. – Ecclesiastes 3:1
It's funny when our plans don't go as smoothly as we planned them to, then suddenly circumstances happen and we see the bigger picture that shows how the pieces all seem to fit after all and something happens which is way better than our own plans.
Countless times in my life has God interfered with my planned life and in those moments, I benefited from His plans than when I had it my way.
A friend told me that she doesn't believe in coincidences. Things don't happen "just because," there is always a purpose for its happening. And alongside that is the perfect time when it should happen. The time when I got my job, the time when I joined community, the time when I didn't get something only to receive something better. It's all in the third chapter of Ecclesiastes.
…a time to love, a time to hate… - Ecclesiastes 3:8
Sometimes we meet people whom we click with almost instantly, though there are some that takes us eons to strike a conversation with. For the latter we wonder if we'll ever get that chance to go beyond the casual "his" and "hellos". Then all of a sudden things happen that brings you close to those people and before you know it, you are the closest buddies, as if you've known each other since childhood.
In some instances, such friendships climb a few levels up and develop from platonic to romantic. You see the person's other side, the one which not a lot of people know. If the person is a high-profile personality, it's quite a feat to penetrate through all the layers that the person has put on for show. And by getting to know him/her more you feel for them more. Then after much prayer and discernment, you make the decision to love the person, to accept his/her iniquities and imperfections, to love the person, warts and all. You reach the point when you know that this time it really is love, not just mere infatuation or silly kiddy crush.
But it doesn't stop there. Sometimes even if you're so sure about your feelings for that person, you aren't sure if it's reciprocated. Fear of embarrassment, humiliation and reprimand, even persecution, hinders you from showing them your feelings. The same fears prevent you from sharing the story to people, especially to the ones directly concerned. You say "it just doesn't feel right" or "I don't know how to say it, where to start." But then you see the green light and even though it's such a hard thing to do, you just do it, especially if He commands you to do so.
He has made everything appropriate to its time – Ecclesiastes 3:11
Waiting on the Lord is one thing that we should all learn and live by. Frankie may have wanted to do it his way, following the Lord's is the better path to tread on. "But it's so hard to wait," you might say. Yes, it is hard; trust me, I know the feeling. But dear old Confucius is right in saying that patience is a virtue. But we have to take into consideration that when things don't go our way, or we don't get it as soon as we wanted to, think that it's because it's not yet time for it to happen. Why? Coz either we are not yet prepared to receive that thing or be in that situation, and the Lord is teaching us to be a little more patient and hope in Him. The more we wait, the more we rely on Him to give us more patience. When His sweet time comes, all our waiting will be worth the wait, for the fruit of it is what is best for us. You can't eat green bananas yet coz they're not yet ripe; you wait for it to turn yellow and sweet.
The works of all mankind are present to Him; not a thing escapes His eye. His gaze spans all the ages; to Him there is nothing unexpected. – Sirach 39:19-20
Have you been praying for something (a house, a car, a boyfriend/girlfriend) for so long and yet you have not received it yet? You start to feel that God has put on his headphones whenever you pray to Him, coz you sense that He doesn't hear a single word of prayer that you say. Don't fret my dear. God knows the every desire of our hearts, even before we even utter a word. He loves you, he knows what you need and want. But there are just some things that are much better to be ours a later time, for maybe by that time we are more mature, more prepared for such things. He may want us to do some things first, like serve Him.
Let us make the Lord our priority. Put Him first above all other things. He will take care of the rest of your needs… in His perfect time.
