Thursday, August 11, 2011

Trusting the Process that Lead to Later

Scripture Verse that Caught my Attention Today: John 13:7 Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

Observation: Simon Peter, the one whom Jesus is addressing, will indeed eventually understand. The key word is “later.”

Application:
Later. How anxious we all are, at times, for ‘later.’ We want to know now what the future holds, whether we should do this or that. Is this the job I should take? Is this the person I should marry? Is this the time to retire? Is this the career path for which I should prepare? Is this just a phase our child is going through? Tell me, please, NOW, not LATER!

I once had a wise college professor who often said, “Life is a tough teacher, it gives you the test first and the lesson afterwards!” I’ve recalled his words often over the course of my own short life.

But if there’s something to be learned from Jesus through all of this—and there’s ALWAYS something to be learned from Jesus!—it’s that we can trust the process that leads us to later, whenever and wherever later comes to the fore.

We may not be able to understand now, but there is always hope for later. The process or journey or whatever you want to call it that leads to later—which could involve: sleepless nights, deep soul-searching, significant physical or emotional pain, public humiliation, pathways never anticipated, or even times of Spiritual barrenness to the tune of “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”—is often what makes later make any sense at all.

“Later you will understand” says Jesus. “Later.”

It’s a reminder to trust the process, and ultimately the One, that leads us from now to then.

Prayer: Lord, when we are between times of understanding, help us to nevertheless trust that you will indeed lead us to the later yet to come. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(Readings today included: Jeremiah 7-8, John 13)

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