I’ve said it before, and it bears repeating now:Â It’s time.
Sure, it’s time for the Rangers to finish what they’ve started in this amazing post-season run. But there’s a personal side to this, too. And for me, it’s time.
Time to deepen friendships. To renew bonds with those I don’t have the opportunity to see except maybe once a week on Sundays, or say a quick hello to as we pass by in the church hallways. To connect with the women who will be in my discussion group. To find new reasons to love and enjoy the women I will be sharing a cabin with.
Time to have fun. To laugh so hard my sides ache and I can barely breathe. To talk late into the night and giggle over life’s misadventures and create memories and inside jokes that will make me smile long beyond the next 48 hours. To play games and make crafts and relax by the lake and dance with reckless abandon and play beach volleyball. To go for long walks or sit on the dock. To watch the brave and fearless thrill-seekers whiz by on the zip line.
Time to be still and know. To shed tears borne out of a passion and intensity of worship in community that can be experienced no other way, and in no other place. To sit at the foot of the cross – literally and metaphorically – in humble gratitude for the penalty paid in my place. To spend true quiet time…uninterrupted, undistracted, unhurried…with my God in a place of peace and solitude. To be inspired by testimonies of faithful women. To dig deep into God’s word with a hunger and thirst to know Him more. To come to Him as I am – no pretenses, no facades, with raw emotion and real questions – and hear His voice as He patiently deals with the mess that I am.
Time to be transformed. By His word and His teachings. By the community of our shared experiences. By the encouragement of fellow Christ-followers. By the moments He draws near and opens my heart and mind to His truth.
Time to be renewed. Strengthened. Re-focused. Re-energized. Oh, yes, it is most definitely time. And while I will be rooting for a Rangers win in the ALCS, I know in my heart that this weekend is about more than baseball. It’s about having a life-changing encounter with the life-changing God of the universe. It’s time…and I’m ready.