Time

I was exactly 45 minutes late tonight for a meeting.  It was embarrassing.  Worst of all, it was a meeting that was planned because I pushed for it!  Had I not said, "Hey, let's have that meeting this week," we wouldn't have had it.  It was a good meeting, but long.  And I should have been there on time.  How did I miss that?

"Given infinite time and infinite resources anything is possible."  Thank you Dr. Lengle for putting so concisely, and I think of you often when I am short on time, sort on resources, or short on both.

Dr. Lengle was making the point in my first ever graduate school class, that the reason we disagree in politics is usually not because of ends - we all want to end homelessness, hunger, war, etc, etc.  The biggest issue is that we have limited time and limited resources with which to address these huge problems.  If we had infinite wealth, then there would be no reason for anyone to be homeless - we could all live in mansions, assuming, of course, that it took no time to build or otherwise upkeep said mansions.  There would still be political disagreements, sure, but imagine - a world with no limits for resources or time!?!  Wow.

I don't have infinite time, and nor do you.  Our days, minutes, seconds are numbered.  It's weird, but there's actually some comfort for me in that:  I don't have to accomplish everything.  In fact, I can't accomplish everything - I don't have time to.  Additionally, God has given me the perfect amount of resources (and time) to accomplish exactly His purpose in my life today.  My job is to live in such a way that honors Him and fulfill His purpose.

Does that make sense?  Think of a problem you faced today - I have a deadline for an article that I need to write, and I've missed it already by 2 days - imagine if you had unlimited time to solve that problem.  Or what if money, energy, or effort were readily available?  *sigh*  That would be ah-may-zing!

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about God just blowing my socks off (you can read about it here: Blown Away).  Well, that day that I was so blown away, it was because God provided a house for us.  You might think, "Oh, Steph's just being over-religious.  She credits God with stuff that just happens every day to normal people."  Fine.  Call it coincidence.  Call it fate.  Call it whatever you like.  But I call it God winking down at me, letting me know He's got my back.  Here's what happened...

Chase, Lily and I have been living in a small house.  It meets many of our needs, but it's just not as... comfortable as we'd like it to be.  Our neighbors are loud at all hours of the night right outside our bedroom windows, we averaged about 35 snake-kills per summer we've lived here, and the kitchen is "cozy" to say the least.  But God provided it a while ago when we needed it, and we are grateful for it.  But at Christmas time, Chase and I had a conversation that went something like this:

CHASE:  I'd like to move into a house that fits us a little better.
STEPH:  Like bigger?  We aren't ready to buy.  Do you want to spend more in rent?
CHASE:  No.  I'd like a bigger, nicer house, in a nicer neighborhood, for the same rent.
STEPH:  That's impossible.  I've watched the housing market like a hawk in this town for the last 18 months.  Dream on.
CHASE:  Well, that's what I want.
STEPH:  Not gonna happen, but you can wish...

Christmas passed, and I still watched the housing market, knowing that nothing would come up.  Our church's Christmas program was postponed to January due to weather, and the night of the program in January, my mom talked to some old family friends who'd come to watch their grandson in the program.  They mentioned off-hand about a house they were fixing up, and didn't have renters for yet.  Mom didn't say anything to them, but suggested to me that I call them.  That was Wednesday night.  I called Thursday night, we looked at the house on Saturday morning, we had a verbal contract that day with papers signed about a week later.

You're wondering about the house right?  It's a bigger house - about 400 sq ft more than we currently have.  It's in a much nicer, quieter neighborhood.  It fits our needs perfectly.  BUT the rent is $5 more per month.

Did you see that $5!?!  We can work an extra $5/month into our budget - we can handle that!  I told Chase when we got home from looking at the house that I felt like God was just winking down at us - letting us know that, yet again, though we don't deserve it, He's got a plan and He's looking after us.  I'm telling you, I've got realtor friends in town who I talk to on a regular basis.  I've watched housing here sell, I've watched it rent.  I know what stuff is "worth."  Call it what you will, but I call it God.

So now we're moving across town, and I'm already getting stressed about it - I don't always (or ever) respond well when I feel like my life is unorganized.  *sigh* I hate moving.  *sigh*  But the end result will be great, and we have great friends and great family who are planning to help with the move.  I really have nothing to complain about - but I do think "what if I had infinite time and infinite resources?" Think what my move would be like then!

There's never enough time, so I guess I'll move in the time I have with the resources I have, and all will be well.  I don't have to do it all - just what God asks me to each day.