The one who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon."
"Please, Aslan… what do you call soon?" "I call all times soon," said Aslan.
C.S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Soon. Expected – or wanted – before much longer in calendar time. Most of us want whatever it is sooner rather than later. Desiring something yesterday! is commonplace. Like a little kid who thinks they want to be a teenager, sometimes we don't consider preparation, people, and other necessary inputs for an event or experience to happen.
Are you willing to settle for a lesser one because you can have it sooner? Or is it worth the longer wait for a better one?
We often think of God outside of time as we know it, and God indeed is eternal and transcendent. But in Jesus' incarnation God spent days, years, minutes, and hours like ours. Because God beyond time and space became close at hand immanent within measurable time and space in a body like ours, God knew our longing to have needs fulfilled and wants met as soon as possible.
My header photo glows in late afternoon, late autumn southland sun. It's the golden hour, and I want to go home soon to a place like that. It seems as if I've settled for lesser work, living, and participation options because I could have them sooner. My endless longing and searching for home that still hasn't happened is old stuff, and best guess it will happen a lot sooner if/when I try to find something similar to those few things that actually have worked well. I've already done the longer wait for one that's so much better than the sooner one. So jump in!
PS: In formal theological terms, with God all times are soon, but we need to live in ways that accommodate our earthbound reality.
The one who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon."
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.
Revelation 22:21-22
Thank you for this post. I was comforted by this reminder "... God indeed is eternal and transcendent. But in Jesus' incarnation God spent days, years, minutes, and hours like ours." Your words reminded me of this truth in Hebrews 4:15 (AMP), "For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize and understand our weaknesses and temptations, but One who has been tempted [knowing exactly how it feels to be human] in every respect as we are, yet without [committing any] sin." Visiting from FMF. Blessings.
ReplyDeleteLike ""Please, Aslan… what do you call soon?" "I call all times soon," said Aslan.
ReplyDeleteC.S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader"
'I call all times soon.' I didn't notice this before. Interesting. I'm sorry to say that I often settle for good enough if it is NOW rather than wait for His BEST. Thank you for sharing these thoughts. #30
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ReplyDelete'Surely I am coming soon,
never late and never early',
and I replied unto this boon,
'Hey, dude, don't call me Shirley.'
JC recoiled with puzzled face,
'Hey, man, I didn't call you that!',
so I responded to His grace
with, 'Dude, you are a real cool cat,
but I do have ears to hear,
and Shirley's what I thought I heard,
but it's cool, so never fear
of using the wrong naming-word.
I will answer to Your call
with any name, any at all.'