Tuesday, April 12, 2011
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I remember when I was a kid we used to take my dad out to the airport for business trips. And as I'd see him leaving with his briefcase on those old airplanes (well, they weren't old then, but they seem that way now). I thought, "Oh, flying would be glamorous wouldn't it, if you had to go fly a lot." Yeah, well I've learned since, having had to fly a lot of times, and sometimes every month. If you've seen one plane, you've seen them all.
Now, for example, I used to fly often to Chicago from New York, and there are about two hours in between. You're leaving something important, and you're going to something important. But then there's the time in-between that can be such, like dead time.
You think that's bad? I went to South Africa some years ago. It was 18 hours...the same equation - leaving something important; going to something important, but all this dead time in between. But I learned that the time between destinations can be valuable too. You don't have to use the headphones. You don't have to watch the movie. You don't have to just think about plastic lunches or read about the life jacket. Some of my best time to create, to write, to prepare, to think, has been on an airplane. You really can make use of that seemingly useless time en route.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Capturing the Time in Between."
Now, our word for today from the Word of God is from Jeremiah chapter 29, and I'll be reading from verses 4-7. We're reading about some people who were going to be in-between for quite a while. What had happened was the Jews had been carried away in captivity. They really didn't want to be where they were in Babylon, but that's where they were going to be - but not forever. God said, "This will change. You will eventually be back to your homeland." It's that same kind of in-between time I have on an airplane, but it's a whole lot longer in their case.
Here's exactly what God instructs them to do, "Say to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry, have sons and daughters, find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there, do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper."
In a sentence, God is saying, "Bloom where you're planted. I know you're not going to be there forever, but I want you to act like you're going to be. Put down roots. Get busy. Change things. Live 100% where you are." Now you may not be in captivity, but you might be in one of life's in-between times right now. It feels like you're between destinations. And basically, maybe you've been cruising until you get to your destination. Maybe you're between jobs, or waiting to get into or back into college. Maybe you're single; just sort of coasting until Mr. or Miss Right comes along; waiting for God's will or waiting for an open door. Maybe you're in a time of illness or a financial in-between time.
There are many seasons in your life, but you feel like right now you're between two important things and you're not doing much. Well God says through this passage, where you are right now is important, not just where you're going to be. Give 100% to this assignment. Act as if you'll be there forever. Because in the course of capturing where you are, God will show you where you are going to be. This is God's will right now! This situation as much as that next milestone will be. Serve Christ actively in between. Do things for Him that you may not be able to do when the next big destination comes along. Don't waste this travel time. Capture the time in between.