Voices in the night…..

I really hate wasted time. Not just my time, but any one who is wasting time, or is having his time wasted by others. This weekend I had the opportunity to travel for business. The target city was two time zones away. I changed to local time on my watch, but my Blackberry kept my home time zone. In one way, it is convenient. I am current with my watch, but can estimate what family and friends are doing when I check the time on the phone.

Business travel is time consuming and tiring. On the morning of departure for home, I set the blackberry. Because I was tired, I did not remember there was a time zone discrepancy, so I was up and at’em several hours earlier than I needed to be. I was oblivious to the discrepancy until Steve asked me if it was time for him to get up. When I looked in his direction, I noticed the hotel room clock, and saw that I was a full two hours ahead of schedule. I was at the point in my routine that I could lie down for a few more hours of rest before heading to the harassment at the airport.

As I lay down to rest, I remembered several things: Ecclesiastes 3 (To everything there is a time and season…..); The Byrds’ song, “Turn, Turn, Turn”; and Jesus’ words: “can ye not discern the signs of the times.” As I lay there in the dark, thinking about the wasted hours of being up too early, I reflected on seasons, times, and turning.

The seasons are changing. The holidays are upon us. Summer and hot weather are gone; time off from work, cooler weather and family visits.

Turn, Turn, Turn…. Sometimes my day is a succession of turns. So many activities and pressures vying for my attention. If I am not careful, I can be as busy as a spinning top: moving feverishly, but going nowhere.

“Discerning the times”… that is the hard one. What season am I looking at, and which way do I turn? In the midnight darkness, I searched for answers. My friend Cerise tells me that her husband Jerry believes that everything that happens in the physical is paralleled in the supernatural. So this is my consideration: Am I up too early, ahead of time? Ahead of God? Am I excited about the change of season, so anticipating the turn? Ready and willing to move with the change?

One thing I know: My path is laid out, and my times are in His hand. It is my responsibility to follow the Master no matter the seasons, turns, or the times. I must consider the ‘still small voice,’ and not be frustrated or led away by the pressure of the day. So….the timing of the alarm was not in error after all. It was a time of checking the wind, setting the sail, and preparing for the voyage ahead.