In Time

It is not always about our convenient time. Sometimes it is about the proper and right time of nature. And all the time, it is about God’s perfect timing.

There’s a time for everything under heaven, a wisdom in the Bible goes.

We know it is true. But sometimes we try to forget it or neglect it or deny it, just for us to pursue what we want or to put off something we need to do.

 

Time can be viewed from various perspectives.

Like one may say, “Wait for the right time, patience is a virtue.” And one would retort, “But time is gold.”

However we view time, one thing is sure—time makes things sweeter and better.

An orange fruit can be sweet when it is eaten when it is ripe. We may choose to (a) harvest it when it gets big but still yellow-green and wait for it to ripen before we eat it; or (b) wait for it to freely fall off the tree, when it is naturally ripe.

In either circumstance, the fruit will naturally ripen on its own and it has its own time to mature and get sweet—our part is just to wait. Or for a third circumstance, we can also (c) pick it the moment we get excited seeing the green young fruit. In this case, the fruit is still sour and bitter, and is not filled with its natural nutrients.

Many of our circumstances in life is like this orange fruit, may it be a relationship with family members, with friends, with colleagues, or even with strangers.

In order to taste the natural sweetness of this beautiful life, all we need is just the right timing. Waiting for the right timing does not necessarily mean you have to sit still or just hover around. Right timing is your capacity to prepare yourself, train yourself, sharpen your skills, or purify your intentions while waiting for that moment to hit the target. Simply put, you don't just force nature to adjust for your convenience; instead, you dance with nature

Right timing does not mean stagnation. While you wait for one thing; you instantaneously equip yourself to be ready to receive or achieve that thing you are waiting for and you enjoy the other facets of your life. This is why timing is an art and discipline.

Your time frame depends on your purpose and acceptance of the situation, so either you:

           a.    grab the lurking potential opportunity and work around it—which is of course risky for some endeavors; or

     b.    wait a little bit more for the sure mature time

The third circumstance of (c) taking action without waiting and contemplation is a sure way to waste many opportunities—of growth, of new relationship, of new business.

You may have lost sight or courage to wait a minute more or go an extra step and you may have felt tired, wounded, or fed up of waiting... remember, a forest that has suffered and has been exploited heals itself on its own. Don't snap or lose morale, just take a break and time itself will reenergize you.

Even without any human intervention (cover up relationship, drinking spree, revenge, getting even, etc), just leave the forest alone and let nature do its wonders, the forest will grow lush and thick faster than you think it would. Like when you scatter seeds—you don’t know how they grow overnight, but they just grow into sprouts.

Same with life, whatever aspect of our lives has been abused (physically, emotionally, financially, spiritually), if we leave it in the hands of God and let God do His wonders, we will be amazed on how He heals us and brings us back to vitality.

So whatever it is that you are going through right now, that you are waiting for, or looking forward to… consider this:

“There is wisdom in waiting. The things you may not understand right now, when they finish their purpose in your life, will make you understand life, others, and yourself better. When things happen how it should be, the result is sweeter and better.”

A wise lover knows when to talk and when to listen.

A wise investor knows when to buy and when to sell.

A wise general knows when to attack and when to retreat.

A wise king knows when to punish and when to forgive.

Timing is special skill. It doesn’t mean you have to wait long all the time… Timing is just a matter of finding joy or productivity while waiting; of taking one step forward to in order to take two steps forward; of feeling the pain now and seize all the lessons so you can start dancing tomorrow; of compartmentalizing things—enjoying one thing, while waiting for another thing to mature to sweetness, while cracking another opportunity to be waited for.

It is not always about our convenient time. Sometimes it is about the proper and right time of nature. And all the time, it is about God’s perfect timing.

Life is more wonderful and colorful if we know how to wait and until when we should wait. Let go and let God! He is in our every circumstance, and His hands are working in our every situation.

Be in the now. Be willing to wait while enjoying what you have now, where you are now!