Perfect Timing

"But Dad," Elliot wailed.  "I don't want to!"

"I don't really care," I, the hard hearted father, declared.  "I want you to sit on the potty for a little while."

Elliot began again.  "But Dad, I need a book to look at while I'm on the potty."

"That's fine," I told him.  "Just choose one quickly."

He poked around for awhile, getting nowhere particularly fast.  "Elliot," I said.  "I'll choose one for you in just a second, if you don't choose one."

"But Dad," he said (a lot of his statements seem to start with "But Dad").  "I need a book that gets done when I'm done pooping.

Eventually, he chose a book that satisfied his criteria -- The Biggest Bear, as I recall.  With that in hand, he went away relatively quietly.

They say that timing is everything.  Comedians who forget the punch lines to their jokes or, just say them at the wrong moment are not particularly funny.  There is a perfect time to pick corn and beans and squash and sweet potatoes.  And I suppose there is a perfect time to finish a book.

Jesus was both the Master of Time and Timing.  Throughout the Gospel of John, He told His disciples that "My time is not yet come."  Then, near the end of His ministry, He told His disciples that "The hour has come." 

Jesus understood His purpose in this world and was ready to meet it when the time was right.  The crucifixion and the suffering and the glory to follow were upon Him and He would not put them off, even though He could.

In our lives today, Jesus continues to work.  Sometimes it may seem like things are moving too quickly and at others, too slowly, but in the fullness of time, His plans for us will come to pass.

Certainly, we can be certain that there will be suffering and hard ship.  But there will be glory too, to come in His time.

One thing is certain about Jesus, His timing is perfect.