Take 5 with Kathy - "Appointments..."

It seems these past few weeks have been all about appointments for me…if it’s not one doctor or another, it’s with my hairdresser, or my physiotherapist, or my osteopath, or the dentist, or the optometrist, or a dinner date, or a church meeting, or X-rays…and I don’t work outside my home or still have children living at home, so my hat’s off to you women who manage to juggle both or all three!

Appointments are a necessary part of life, but they sure can disrupt it. If I didn’t have to travel very far to get to them, or spend more than five minutes waiting for them, or have to cancel and re-schedule one to fit in another of higher priority, perhaps I wouldn’t feel like they are running my life. Maybe it’s just more irritating as I get a little older – of course, the older we get, the more appointments there seem to be (unrelated to work).

I like what Albert Einstein once said, “The only reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once.”[i] I know that many people claim to be great at “multi-tasking”, but the fact remains there are still only 24 hours in a day…1440 minutes…86,400 seconds…so if you’re trying to accomplish several things in that same time frame, something doesn’t get done as well as it could otherwise….just a thought. I’ve tried to do it, but I’m much more efficient when I focus on one thing whenever possible.

A very wise man also said, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1) King Solomon is one of the wisest people to ever have lived – perhaps that is why his words are so often quoted, even by those who know little or nothing about the Bible. Our time is so precious and often we feel pulled, pushed, and stretched until our minds and bodies scream for rest and relaxation.

It is so important that I make every moment of my days count. David said, “You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you.” (Psalm 39:5) I was thinking about this verse as I watched live on television Nik Wallenda make his historic crossing of Niagara Falls on Friday night. I’m sure every minute of that daring feat felt like a lifetime as he braved something no one thought he could, or should, ever do. What impressed me most, although I was sitting on the edge of my seat like everyone else, was how he prayed and thanked the Lord Jesus all the way across. He seemed to have such a deep calm and faith that was anchored in the One he called, “My Saviour… my Redeemer”. As I watched the thick mist swirl around him on that precarious journey I was also reminded of how our lives are described in James 4:14, “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” In an interview after his successful walk into the annals of history, I was delighted to hear him giving God the glory for this amazing gift he had been given and how he wanted to inspire people all over the world to never stop trying to realize their dreams. What a testimony!

I want my days to echo the words of David in Psalm 32:6-7, “Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him. You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.” My heart attitude as I go through the activities of each day with which God blesses me should be one of gratitude and praise to my Deliverer, my Hiding Place, and my Protector. When I remember to focus on this, it helps to keep the interruptions, irritations, distractions, and unexpected challenges from overwhelming me and causing me to take my eyes off the One who brings balance, calm, and steadiness into my daily walk.

One appointment we are assured of keeping and which will never be cancelled or rescheduled is the day we meet God. Hebrews 9:27-28 says, “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.” As a child I placed my faith in what Jesus Christ did for me and I wait for that glorious day when I will one day see Him and live forever in His presence!

Until next Sunday,

Kathy

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[i] http://thinkexist.come/quotations/time/




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