There was a time in my life in the not-too-distant past when things were constantly changing for the better. But just when I thought things looked their most promising, nothing changed anymore except my age. My life became stagnant. I got stuck in a rut and I did not yet get to where I thought I was going in life. Although I live and work fairly close to civilization, it nevertheless seems rather provincial where I am right now. Life is just slower here than I was expecting it to be. This was neither a good time nor a good place for my life to come to a standstill like this. I was still in transition; far from being settled down. Why did things go so dreadfully wrong? Will they ever get better again?
These were the questions running through the minds of some of the disciples before they knew about the Resurrection. As Jesus entered Jerusalem with them, it looked like they were on their way to reaching the culmination of His ministry. But then things went horribly awry from their perspective. They were not ready for Him to just die, especially not in that manner. The ministry did not yet get to where they thought it was headed. They were expecting glory right away and instead suffered a horrible setback. Jesus did reappear but not immediately. Things actually got much better for the disciples but they did not know it until it actually happened. Before then, they lived in quiet desperation, not entirely sure that their purpose in life would ever be fulfilled. That's because these sorts of things happen in God's time, not man's time. In the absence of results, it's easy and tempting to give up hope that life is actually going to change for the better. The disciples certainly could have given up hope when all the evidence in their lives seemed to indicate that everything was going downhill while there was no evidence indicating that something promising awaited. But they did not give up hope. They were patient.
Patience is a virtue that pretty well describes what is needed in order to make wine. Planting, or replacing, of vines is a busy time and a lot of change is taking place amidst all this activity. But just when things seem like they're all set, there's nothing, and there continues to be nothing, for a long time. Eventually there is the harvesting and pressing of grapes. But that time in between can seem impossibly long, and if one is not already familiar with the process, there is no indication that there will ever come a time during which things will get better again. That time in between could instead seem like a cruel and endless fate. But the fact of the matter is that the harvesting and pressing of grapes will be even busier and more filled with activity than the planting or replacing of vines. But the harvesting and pressing is not possible without the time in between. One must continue cultivating during that time, even without perceptible results, lest the plants fail to fulfill their purpose. For those of you who feel like your life is stuck in a rut, this time in between is the opportunity to make yourself the best man or woman you can be before things start happening again. In man's time, the harvest would take place the day after planting. There would be no break in activity. In God's time, there is an opportunity for growth that would make the harvest much more worthy and fulfilling than it would be if treated like a rush job. So if your life seems to be wasting away, don't give up on it and don't resign yourself to just going through the motions or going with the flow. Everything you do with a purpose, no matter how fruitless it seems at the time, is working toward something.
Luke 24: 35-48
No comments:
Post a Comment