What Time is It?

"For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak and not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry." (NKJV)

As an AP Language and Composition instructor, I cover rhetoric and the dozens of strategies speakers use to employ effective persuasion skills. One concept we begin with is the usage of kairos - a Greek term for "the opportune or supreme moment." When delivering a speech or conducting any sort of conversation, we must always be mindful of the right time to share. For one to fully receive another party's words, someone can have all the ethos, logos, and pathos utilized to draw someone in, but if the right conversation is presented at the wrong time, it falls on deaf ears. The infamous, "I Have a Dream Speech" and its efficacy is based largely on King's usage of kairos: delivering on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in D.C., during the centennial celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation. This poignant imagery creates the perfect backdrop for his audience's reception and for King's declaration and call to freedom and sanctity of justice delineated within the speech. But what about timing as it relates to a situation? A move? A desire? An outcome? This is when we must recognize that God's kairos is not always our kairos.

When God reveals to Abram (later Abraham)  that he would have an heir that "will come from [his] own body] (Genesis 15), and specifically that Sarah would bear to him a son, Abraham did not initially believe this would happen since they were both past "childbearing years." As much as God revealed piece by piece the vision He had for Abraham, it was still difficult to believe what God promised because the timing did not seem to align with their circumstances. In Genesis 17 and 18, God tells Abraham the most important factor about any promise or vision God implants in our hearts: timing. The LORD said three times, "I will return to you at the time of life" and "Sarah will have a son." As much as Abraham was "counted for righteousness" due to his belief, he missed the authority of God's "time of life."

In this passage, the word "appointed" means fixed. God already had a fixed moment in His orchestration upon which the son would come. Because God interconnects people, destiny, purpose, situations, and the like, He knows when the ultimate supreme moment should be for every moment in our lives. The time of life mentioned here reminds me of spring, such as new beginnings and new life, new purposes. Although Sarah and Abraham and pretty much every person under the sun flows in the rhythm of chronos or the 24 hour a day concept of time, God's timing supersedes and regulates that. I find that even in the mundane days of wake up, brush your teeth, go to work, cook dinner or whatever your routine may be, God uses those moments or disciplines to reveal the purpose of planting or sowing, or waiting as it relates to fully receiving and inheriting the fullness of a vision.

Whatever you are desiring for God to bring about in your life, pray first that the motive and intent of that desire is from Him. Then ask God to reveal to you His timing on the fruition of that vision. Remember, God gave Abraham bits and pieces, and not the full vision all at once. Therefore, timing for each piece is key.

 "To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the heaven." (Ecclesiastes 3:1, NKJV)

Perspective: What You Choose to See

What is the defining trait of a trailblazer? Is it someone who is innovative and creative? One who is consistent and balanced? Although the aforementioned characteristics are helpful and even indicative of any groundbreaking successor, perspective indefinitely trumps them all. One's perspective on any given circumstance determines his or her reactions, responses, and even recognition. For example, let's say that I was given a promotion to move from one part of the country to another. This new location drips with colorful landscapes, diverse restaurants, and compelling sights. But once I arrive, it does not appear to deliver on all that I was told regarding living arrangements or even the community of inhabitants. The job requires a bit more than I thought because I grew accustomed to my daily routine; my co-workers are not as talkative as my former comrades; and my salary is the same but allows more room for advancement.

Now one could survey this situation and believe the given promotion seems more like descension than ascension. This person would more than likely not capitalize on the given opportunities provided and make lateral moves or move back home altogether. However, the trailblazer approach is to see all problems and opposition as an opportunity to solve a problem, or grow in character, or gain divine partnerships perhaps. As much as we believe our issues or innate struggles are respective to current or more recent generations, feel free to look back at the Israelites in Numbers 14 as they refused to enter into Canaan - their Promised Land, their promotion.

Prior to moving, word came back that the land was "flowing with milk and honey" and contained much "fruit." However, when they heard that the people were "strong" and contained cities that are "fortified," the Israelites grew intimidated and grumbled to return back to Egypt - their Bondage Land. Despite being told by God that they would inhabit the land and that it was given to them, the Israelites could not see past their own fears of people they did not even personally encounter at that point. They chose to focus on their fears, their doubts, their insecurities, and placed little to none - actually none on God and what He told them. Unfortunately due to this poor, unprofitable perspective, they did not inhabit the land. Only two crossed over and inhabited the land: Joshua and Caleb. They too saw the same situation but chose a different perspective. They chose to remember what God said, and place their belief in the power and faithfulness of God and not in their own might.

Even if you are not facing a new job or new location, what situations are you encountering where you are literally talking yourself out of why you cannot or will not move forward? Are you placing more weight on yourself and not casting your cares to God? What opportunity is disguising itself in your current opposition? Ask the Lord to give you fresh eyes to view your situation from.

What's in Your Seat?

Psalm 139:23-24
"Search me, oh God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

Vulnerability - something humanity has historically avoided at all costs. Typically when discussing relationships and we are asked, “why don’t you just tell him how you feel,” or “why don’t you like crying,” many people at various stages of life will reply with, “I don’t want (fill in name) to see me all vulnerable.” Is it no wonder that when we examine the denotation of this word that we can’t help to connotatively repudiate all contact with any and all situations, circumstances, and conversations that will force us to be VULNERABLE? The root, vulnerare, means “to wound, hurt, injure, maim.” Surely, we understand why our fleshly, natural inclination upon hearing this word and its associations cause us to repel against anything that will cut us or bring harm.

Growing up I lived in a household where it seemed the family mantra or mission statement was “What goes on in this house, stays in this house.” Yes, some things should be kept within the confines of the intimacy of family and safety. But in my house, it seemed EVERYTHING was to stay in the household - particularly situations that called for emotional help, understanding, depressing thoughts, arguments, and conflict resolution. This had no choice but to develop defense mechanisms, walls, apathy, and overall reliance on working through issues independently.

I ultimately reached a place in my life where although I had loving and decent relationships, I rarely allowed people to get really close to me. I was afraid to let anyone in because I feared them getting to know me and how my upbringing made me feel weird. I grew accustomed to entertaining people for the sake of looking at them to fill whatever connection I desired at the moment: humor, intellectual interludes, adventurous experiences, song lyrics, or simply ego filling. It was not until I reached adulthood (rather mid 20’s) where God imprinted on my heart that I was running and avoiding. I no longer could ignore this heavy nudge that the more I sought out intimacy from a need for deep connection and affection, the more I was deviating from what true intimacy stems from: vulnerability.

Apprehending vulnerability from the lens of man - natural state, appearances, surface level - will never lead to authentic transparency. We’re reminded in 1 Samuel 16:9 that “God does not see as man sees. For man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” Though this reference is where God reminds Samuel of how we look at people on the outside - their hair, stature, clothing, title, and the like - God is not concerned with make-up. He is always after our hearts; therefore, God’s lens of seeing us is through an eye of LOVE.

God was telling me through this conflicted emotion that I will never understand the fulfillment of any kind of intimacy unless I allow myself to be vulnerable through His loving eyes. Let’s look at the scripture.

To “search” means to “dig deep.” Now if someone who is out to harm you, or reveal your insecurities from an unloving place, then yes, this causes a wound or harm. Someone who is absent of love will expose you openly because they don’t have righteous motivation or intention. But everything about God is love. Our view of God determines how we feel when He looks at us. Frankly, this is true for anyone. God looks at us with a confident love. He made us with such love, adoration, purpose, and wonder despite already knowing our frailty, shortcomings and future sin. So His cutting into man allows our deep layers to come to light. Layers of depression, molestation, promiscuity, dishonesty, masturbation, relationship idols and so on - all of these things crowd and permeate our heart: the center  or "seat" of our being. Our hearts or our soul combine our mind, will, and emotions. Many have referred to the heart as the seat. Things sit, and dwell there. Our thoughts are the workshop in which we ponder ideas, and once they grow, they flow and enter to the heart - whether good or bad, beneficial or harmful, life or death. So David is basically asking God to search him because He trusts in WHO God is to search him out and know his heart. He wants God to discern and investigate all of what is in his heart.

He then asks God to “try [him]” and now investigate his thoughts. Now at one point, I would be like man do I really want to confess and let God in on the thoughts that really go through my mind in a day? But the irony here is that God already knows our thoughts, but our humility and submission says, “God you already know, but my ability to confess and acknowledge what you want me to see about these thoughts is what you’re after. You want to shed your light of love to pull me and restore me to a way of everlasting, life, liberty, joy.”

Now ask yourself: What’s in your seat? What multitude of harboring thoughts have now reached and flooded your heart that may need to be cut out? What resides in your heart that is keeping you from being VULNERABLE to God?

What I Can't Live Without

"Like a song, carooning my soul like strings on a harp
entertaining all the hidden parts of me;
Oh love maybe you have found me, although I have hidden from you at times
you have been patient and bidden your time till
I was ready to see your truth and beauty
Never far away..." Andrea Joy Cohen, M.D.

What is something you cannot live without? Shelter? Food? Cell phone? Wi-fi? Or television? Your journal maybe? Clothing to keep you warm perhaps? Your favorite book? Feminist activist and famous poet Edna St. Millay portrayed in Sonnet 30 her thoughts on what love is and what it's not. In her final lines of this sonnet, she recognizes the pain and distress and even harsh memory that love can leave behind - essentially WHAT it leaves in its absence. She discovers that although tough times may "drive" or tempt her to "sell love for peace" or "trade the memory for food," she chooses not to. For many of us, we would probably trade with no question, especially when it produced pain.  But her final and lasting thought is what reveals not just what's most important but what is paradoxically needed most: love.

This is not to ignore that basic needs such as food, shelter, and clothing are necessities for one's ability to survive in a more comfortable and enjoyable manner. But what if we go a step further and arrive at the heart of the matter? What if we really observe what keeps people fighting for life, what keeps people serving others, what keeps people yearning to see another day? Could it be that deep down, they look and desperately hope for someone to offer them love? To see the greatness within them that they have somehow lost sight of? To see beyond their mistakes and flaws and appearance? Many survivors of life threatening diseases and debilitations have been found to overcome and gain healing of those diseases through a significant amount and recognition of love from other people and love for themselves. This does not obliterate usage of medicine or therapy to heal sick people; but it does propigate the notion that love is something we were created to need for true survival, for a true and meaningful life.

As we experience the world and grow in the world, it is no surprise that we can easily become hardened to love and even impenetrable. We can walk around with opaque hearts to others and hide from the true essence of what love brings: intimacy, healing, transparency - all forms of light. Light to see, and light to reflect. This may be why 1 Corinthians 13:13 states that "the greatest of these is love." Martin Luther King Jr. even testifies that "love is the most durable power." Our ability to love without borders is what allows God's miracles to truly manifest themselves through our imitation of Christ and duplication in relationships.

How do you know if you are demonstrating love? Well, it is when you demonstrate patience, kindness, gentleness, self control, humility, selflessness, hope, faith, peace, honor, truth, and grace towards all people. And in case it needs to be said, demonstrating these above attributes EVEN when it's hard or when someone seemingly does not deserve it. Isn't that what Christ demonstrates to us every second of every minute of every hour of every day? If you know, believe, and receive that, then you too are called to demonstrate the same. But Christ must be at the core of it ALL...

Faith to Fly

"I have come to accept the feeling of not knowing where I am going. And I have trained myself to love it. Because it is only when we are suspended in mid-air with no landing in sight, that we force our wings to unravel and alas begin our flight. And as we fly, we still may not know where we are going to. But the miracle is in the unfolding of the wings. You may not know where you're going, but you know that so long as you spread your wings, the winds will carry you.”  ~C. Joy Bell C.

As much as most people are afraid of heights, they are also allured by the concept of flight; the thought and imagined feeling of being suspended in air, crashing into the wind, and encapsulated by the scenery - though scary - still attracts them. I for one am still taking steps to overcome my slight fear of heights: literally and figuratively. Maybe this is how I have come to admire birds of all types and grown to love feathers in general. Whenever I see eagles, for example, I am in awe as I gaze upon the mass of their wings, the intention in their direction, and the calmness in their glide. They are simply living in complete freedom. It is no wonder even Albert Einstein encourages us to "look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." In the Bible, the eagle is referenced for its strength (Psalms 103:5 and Isaiah 40:31), its nesting in high places (Jeremiah 49:16) and its elevated vision (Job 39:27-30). If God can create an eagle to do all these things and more for survival purposes, why do we question at times God's ability to develop the same in us? Simply put - faith and patience.
Think about the last thing you prayed or asked God to speak to you about. Was it a person to connect with? A job to take? A school to choose? Or even an opportunity to grow? In any case, if you sought God on the matter, did you find yourself so stuck that you ended up not moving or making a decision at all? At times, we either don't believe that God will answer what we're asking for or we're not willing to wait for the timing of the manifestation and the development that must occur. Currently, I am at the place in my journey of having faith that He will provide or do, but it still requires my faith which is in all cases ACTION. As the aforementioned quote states, "the miracle is in the unfolding of the wings." For us, this is our movement, our action, our choices. As much as the beauty is found in the scenery and the wind while in air, our instincts immediately focus more on the potential cuts, crashes, and catastrophes and not enough on trusting in the Omnipotent One who told you to fly and gave you everything you needed to fly in the first place - just like the eagle. Yes, we execute wisdom and seek counsel on any move we make; however, we still have to make a decision. And if we have honestly sought God in this decision, and wait eagerly for his word, then we can move forward in what He tells us even when we don't know what is ahead or above the next level of clouds.

Slow down and look at Nature; for when the fritters of life chip away at your ability to hear, She will connect you back with our Creator.