Now and Later
“But a very little while, Lebanon shall be changed into an orchard, and the orchard be regarded as a forest! On that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book; And out of gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind shall see.” - Is 29: 17-18
Waiting is not a very popular concept in our society where motion is regarded above stillness and doing is valued over being. Today, we can have Amazon deliveries within a couple of hours, pay for a fastpass to reduce the time we stand in line at Disneyland, and pull up Waze to find the most efficient route to get to where we need to go. Yet, we find ourselves in this season of waiting – waiting along with the shepherds and the wise men for the one who would bring the fullness that our hearts yearn for.
Does the act of waiting imply that the present moment is somehow less than some future – as if the present was missing an aspect of wholeness that the future holds? On a basic day-to-day level, I look forward to the weekends, the next social gathering, the next fun activity to break the daily doldrums. More broadly, I wait to find out what kind of person I will become. How will my little life unfold to play a small part in this world? As I find myself in a world more fractured than what I imagine the kingdom of God to be, it is tempting to long for the “orchard that will be regarded as a forest” that God promises at the danger of passing time in the present world as some sort of resigned necessity.
However, if I spend this precious time I have now pining for the later, I will miss the wonder of the transformation. The time of waiting is the preparation for the future. It is in that space where real life takes place. Despite the “gloom and darkness” that I may feel at times surrounding me, Jesus is intimately there. He invites me to be his collaborator in creating and building this heaven on earth to resemble the Heaven on the other side of eternity. In this participation, I prepare myself to receive Jesus more fully.
Dear Jesus, prepare my heart to receive you by helping me to live each moment intentionally.
Michael Jamnongjit