Tuesday, January 10, 2006
I used to think flying would be glamorous. When I was a kid, we'd take my Dad to the airport for an occasional business trip, and I used to think, "Man, that's exciting! I wonder if I'll ever do that?" I get to do plenty of that! Sometimes it's a two-hour flight to Chicago, a five-hour flight to the West Coast, and sometimes it's a marathon like 18 hours to Africa or Asia. Now I'm leaving something important and I'm going to something important at the other end. But for most people, the travel time in between is just dead time. Not for this kid. I ask for a window seat where I don't have to do any getting up or passing things. I make my little office nest there and I get tons of work done! For me, that time in between my two important places isn't just headphones, movies, plastic lunches, or reading about life jackets. In fact, there's no phone calls, no interruptions. It's some of my best time to write, create, prepare. Hey, the time in between is important, too!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Time in Between."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Jeremiah 29:4-7. God's ancient people are in between. They've been brought from their homeland into captivity in Babylon. God has promised to take them back to their land some day. But what about this dumb old time in between, in a country that's never been their home and isn't going to ultimately be their home. They're in between destinations.
"This is what the Lord Almighty says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 'Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and 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.'"
God is saying don't waste this time in between one place and another in your life. He wants us to do what I try to do on those trips - capture the in between time! Make it count. Don't just sit there waiting for your final destination! He told His ancient people and He may be telling you, "You may be in between right now, but bloom where I've planted you! Act as if you'll be there forever!"
Maybe you're in one of life's "in between" times right now, sort of cruising until the next main event. You're between jobs, waiting to get into college or back into college, maybe you're in retirement and waiting for something to happen. You're single, sort of killing time until Mr. or Miss Right comes along, waiting for God's will to clarify or for some door to open. Maybe your health or your finances have you "in between" right now. It could be that you feel like you're in between two important things so you're just meeting the minimums.
God is trying to say, "Where you are right now is important!" He wants you to give 100% to this assignment from Him. And in the course of capturing where you are, God will show you where He wants you to be in the future. But this stage is as much God's will as that next milestone is. We haven't got any days to waste. So serve Jesus actively there. Make the greatest possible difference there! In fact, you can do things for Him in that situation that you may not be able to do when the next big destination comes along!
So don't waste this travel time. It counts, too! Make the most of it! Capture this time in between!