GOD’S TIME

AFTER SPENDING FOUR DAYS at a conference full of ideas, imagine my surprise when, after returning to my dear home and my own dear bed, the first thing I read about was slowing down to leave room for God.

EACH MORNING BEFORE ATTENDING MEETINGS, my husband and I prayed our special Lenten prayers, including one for our little company and our well-loved employees. That done, we raced to the breakfast gathering. Ideas for improving our business came at us at warp speed. I could almost hear a sonic boom.

BY THE LAST DAY, I found myself working out the initial steps in a business plan. In the weeks before the meeting I had felt helpless to make a difference in the shortfalls that seemed to have plagued us for nearly a year, and after only three days I had awakened far too early in an effort to capture these new ideas before they fled. That’s how prayer is sometimes—a little dangerous.

AND THEN, ARRIVING HOME, I hear an unmistakable voice: “Leave time for God.” It’s the best advice I received all week.

PRAYER—that moment when I am aware of accompanying God on His journey—refreshes me, keeps me ready for the challenge. Even though I only allow cancer the backseat in my life, it’s enough of a presence to remind me that each day is a gift . . . a new beginning . . . and one I’m lucky to have.

THERE MAY COME A DAY WHEN CANCER DEMANDS and gets the driver’s seat, and I must be prepared to make my way to my true home. Prayer is how I do that.

SO, NO MATTER HOW THRILLING NEW IDEAS may be, no matter how demanding the business plan may become, I will leave time for God. Because I know that my time in this life is just rehearsal for my time in the next.

You’re blessed. Be a blessing!

YEAH? WHO’S NOT A ‘FRAIDY CAT?

THE OPPOSITE OF FAITH ISN’T DOUBT, as I once believed, it’s fear. That condition that causes all the blood to flow to my big flight-or-fight muscles tells me that I don’t believe God will keep me safe in the lion’s den. It’s the acid test I’ve failed more than I’ve passed.

PUT ME IN THE PASSENGER SEAT with a daredevil at the wheel of a powerful car, and I forget everything except getting out at the first stop light. Self-preservation—that singular quality that Christ did not value—takes over and leaves little room for much else.

I CAN LIST DOZENS OF ANXIETY-PRODUCERS: the treatments I undergo every other week; being removed from the treatments I’d like to continue having anxiety about every other week; an unexpected knock at the front door at night; tiny dark places—like PET scans—where I have to remain still far too long; surgery of any kind; high open places; bullies; and stairwells in tall buildings that smell of smoke. The list goes on and on.

I’M NOT PROUD of how often I’m afraid—or of what that says about my faith. But, I am in good company. Joshua, Gideon, the tribes of Judah, Ahaz, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Jerusalem, and nearly everyone in the Bible who was greeted by an angel needed reassurance.

IT’S NO EXCUSE. In fact, considering what it took to frighten them I have lots of room for improvement. Lots of room to build my faith. It keeps me humble. It keeps me praying for increased faith.

AND MAYBE THAT’S WHAT FEAR is supposed to do.

You’re blessed. Be a blessing.