A Bruce Goodbye

 Update: As of 1/1/15 our blog has moved! Please visit us at www.finishingtherace.org Thank you for following us as we grow into a new vision at the other site.

Day 31 Click here to see all the posts in this 31 day series  

If you knew my dad’s mother, Grandma Bruce, you know what I am talking about it. And rumor on the street is if you know me or my kids you’ll experience the “Bruce Goodbye” is a genetic trait passed down through the generations.

It looks something like this:

 As it’s time for someone to leave the house (mind you, you might just be leaving for a few hours...) We walk you to the door giving a hug or two or three…and then we open the door and go outside with you saying goodbye and then as you try to get in the car everything intensifies with more hugs and goodbyes until the person trying to leave is almost annoyed and has to shut the car door quickly, but then the you usually need to roll down the window because we are standing waving and screaming goodbye until we can’t see your car anymore and you must acknowledge this with a wave, a honk or your own verbal goodbye as you step on the gas to get away from us.

I’m not exaggerating.

So imagine my feelings this morning as I’ve reached the end of this blog and it’s time to say goodbye…good grief, it took me 31 days to try and get all my words down and it wasn’t enough.

For the life of me I cannot remember where I heard this, but however it came to me it was a gift from above:

God promised His Word is a lamp unto our feet, not a floodlight into the future. 

As much as we moan and grumble about wanting to know all the details of how a situation will work out, what a blessing it is to not be overwhelmed by what a floodlight would show us up ahead. It could be amazing or it could be gut wrenching, but we are safe in the light of the lamp where God can provide for us exactly what we need for this step and we can rest assured He knows what is on up ahead on our path. What He knows does not overwhelm Him; He just gently, lovingly prepares us on this step for the next one, one minute at a time. 

Yesterday on the way home from the hospital I could not quit thinking about how “sure” everything seems in the world and how that lulls people to sleep in thinking this is all there is. But lo and behold in a couple of days almost everyone in America will change their clocks backward an hour. Try explaining this to a child! It’s WILD! “Well, a long time ago a bunch of people without the internet or email spread the word to everyone that they decided it was best for all of us to change our clocks so we could have some more daylight at the end of our day and so at an agreed upon time we reset our clocks.” I can’t imagine America agreeing on anything today that would have such an effect on people (We see you over there, Arizona.)

Time is something created by people, but set in motion by God when He created day, night and how long it takes for the earth to travel around the sun. God did not say in Genesis “Let there be clocks.”

I had a feeling I needed to post about this and then last night during our bible study video Beth Moore begins teaching us the context of 2 Thessalonians and how Paul was reminding the church that Jesus will return at a specific time. 

We all experienced a paradigm shift in our thinking. It’s still rocking my world this morning as I awoke to my alarm clock.

For thousands of years, time was kept simply by day and night, sun dials came along but they could only mark time in daylight, but it wasn’t until the 1300s when mechanical clocks began keeping time to the hour and then the 1700s brought the pendulum to keep track of seconds. How do we keep track of time today? How many times today have we looked at our phone or wristwatch to see where we are in the expanse of time?

She explained that God isn’t like the timer feature on our phones where we are counting down toward an event, we are counting up like a stopwatch, counting seconds and years as we lead up to Jesus’ return. Every generation wonders if they will be the ones to see it happen while alive, but here we are in 2014 even more obsessed with keeping track of time than any generation before us... and every second that passes is one that brings us closer to our real home. Waking up this morning means we are that much closer to real and eternal RELIEF.

“and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels.” 2 Thes 1:7

Instead of feeling like time is running out, I want to feel time is running toward something marvelous. I do not want to live worried about how much time is left; I want to eagerly anticipate the time that is coming.

“when He comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.” 2 Thes 1:10 emphasis mine

When the stopwatch is stopped by the almighty hand, I want to be among all of you who finished the race together, out of breath and yet energized, ready for what God has in store for us next. Can you even imagine?

Thank you all for being a part of this journey through sweetcarolinebaby’s blog. We are eager to see what God has in store for our next leg of the race and I know it will all be revealed in His perfect timing.

“You’re going to find that there will be times when people will have no stomach for solid teaching, but will fill up on spiritual junk food—catchy opinions that tickle their fancy. They’ll turn their backs on truth and chase mirages. But you—keep your eye on what you’re doing; accept the hard times along with the good; keep the Message alive; do a thorough job as God’s servant. You take over. I’m about to die, my life an offering on God’s altar. This is the only race worth running. I’ve run hard right to the finish, believed all the way. All that’s left now is the shouting—God’s applause! Depend on it, he’s an honest judge. He’ll do right not only by me, but by everyone eager for his coming.” 2 Timothy 4:3-8 msg emphasis mine

Stay tuned, God is up to something new!...Now I’ll finally let you roll up your window and drive away with that last big hug.