Time as measured on a clock seems to be an absolute period defined by hours. minutes and seconds. Stare at a clock and time passes slowly. Stay busy and time moves more swiftly. Happiness tends to shorten time, whereas anxiety lengthens the hours in a day. How much time is in your control? Can you lengthen or shorten time?
Day Two WORD
"And Jacob served seven years for Rachel;
and they seemed unto him but a few days,
for the love he had to her."
Genesis 29:20
and they seemed unto him but a few days,
for the love he had to her."
Genesis 29:20
Deep Thoughts
In the Bible Verse above, Jacob had to work seven years to earn the right to marry Rachel. The dude was so in love, he paid no attention to how long seven years were. This story has a funny ending (unless you're Jacob!) If you read yesterday's story, you saw how Jacob learned about trickery and deceit. After those seven years, Jacob was tricked into serving seven more years because he married the wrong wife! (In his eyes she was the wrong wife, but God was working everything into something good.) The clock doesn't measure how long it takes for our actions to come full circle, but it will surely come to pass. On my second morning without coffee, the thought of 19 more coffee-less mornings seems like a very long time! This too shall pass.
Measuring time by the highs and lows of our emotions will surely impact the perceived length of our travails and triumphs. Time can be on your side, if you practice a mindset of gratitude. Anxiety will always be a drag, but refocusing on what you have to be grateful for will lessen the time focused on what you're anxious about. Happy times will always speed by and never be long enough, but if you spend some time being grateful for the hard times, they'll make the happy times even sweeter!
Everything works together in time to create something good for those who trust God. The picture at the top of this story shows Pilate "washing his hands" or removing himself from the responsibility of an innocent man who is about to die. We know that Jesus was in excruciating agony in the time before his death. In the time before he was crucified, he asked God to take away the times he was about to face. The times were so bad that he was sweating beads of blood. At his last Supper. Jesus gave thanks as he broke the bread, even as he was about to be broken.
Measuring time by the highs and lows of our emotions will surely impact the perceived length of our travails and triumphs. Time can be on your side, if you practice a mindset of gratitude. Anxiety will always be a drag, but refocusing on what you have to be grateful for will lessen the time focused on what you're anxious about. Happy times will always speed by and never be long enough, but if you spend some time being grateful for the hard times, they'll make the happy times even sweeter!
Everything works together in time to create something good for those who trust God. The picture at the top of this story shows Pilate "washing his hands" or removing himself from the responsibility of an innocent man who is about to die. We know that Jesus was in excruciating agony in the time before his death. In the time before he was crucified, he asked God to take away the times he was about to face. The times were so bad that he was sweating beads of blood. At his last Supper. Jesus gave thanks as he broke the bread, even as he was about to be broken.
Day Two PRAYER
Father God, we're grateful to You for all times.
We need help in being grateful in hard times.
You work all times into a perfect circle of grace.
Help us to trust you in long seasons of anxiety.
Cause our minds to revert to thankfulness
when we face times of travail.
Thank You God for giving us Your grateful Son.
He was grateful in the greatest agony of all.
We will never face what he did,
but help us in our human frailties.
Give us the mindset of gratitude in all times,
Thank You God.
In Jesus Name.
Amen
We need help in being grateful in hard times.
You work all times into a perfect circle of grace.
Help us to trust you in long seasons of anxiety.
Cause our minds to revert to thankfulness
when we face times of travail.
Thank You God for giving us Your grateful Son.
He was grateful in the greatest agony of all.
We will never face what he did,
but help us in our human frailties.
Give us the mindset of gratitude in all times,
Thank You God.
In Jesus Name.
Amen
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