God Makes Time

So yesterday we had a pretty good storm come through Norwalk.  It caused trees to go down all over town, people to lose power and cable for hours.  The cleanup is going to take minutes for some of us and hours for others.

While I was driving around town looking over the damage in some of the areas it had me thinking about God and people’s relationship with Him.  You see, all the time I hear from people that they don’t have time to read the Bible, to pray, to go to church, etc.  I don’t normally argue with these people because I know that I can’t change their mind, only God can.  Now as an extremely busy family, I understand the busy schedule problem.  Yet we’re still able to make sure God is first in our lives.  We prioritize God because we know where He should be in our lives.  

Well, then a day like yesterday hits.  A day where many people have to make time in order to assess and damage from a storm that has come through.  For some people that is just picking up twigs.  Others will be spending time contacting their insurance companies and cleaning out major areas of damage. 

Now what strikes me with this situation is that all of a sudden these people have time to do this work.  They have time to pick up twigs, or they have time to call the insurance company.  They have that time because they now make it a priority in their lives because they feel that it is important, and rightfully so. 

My question today is if they can easily make time for things like this in their lives, why can’t they make time for God?  Why is it that when bad things happen they can make time in their lives, but not for the one thing that can make their lives so much better?

Solving Disputes - Who is In Control?

Currently in Norwalk there is a bit of a battle brewing that I’d like to discuss some today. Although I don’t know all of the circumstances on how everything came about, I can tell you some of the facts of the debate:

Fact 1: The VFW owns a bunch of land.

Fact 2: That land has been used by Lefty Grove Baseball for years.

Fact 3: A piece of that land has been offered to Norwalk Jr. Truckers Football.

Fact 4: Norwalk Jr. Truckers Football is a quality organization that has been helping youth for years.

Fact 5: Lefty Grove baseball is a quality organization that has been helping youth for years.

Now those are the facts as I know them. I haven’t had many dealings with the VFW here in Norwalk personally so I don’t have expertise on how it is run, its leadership, etc. However, I like to assume that it’s a quality organization as well.

The problem is that there is a dispute going on that is going to cause damage to all three organizations. My personal problem is that I can see all three sides of the argument. I can see why the VFW should be able to repurpose their land as they see fit. I see why Lefty Grove wouldn’t want to lose the space. I also see why Norwalk Jr. Truckers would want the space.

Now I’m not going to spend my time here today discussing what I think should be done, as frankly that doesn’t matter at all. Sure I have an opinion, and I’m on the fence right now as I support all of the sides of the argument one way or another. Instead, today I’d like to focus on one thing: God has already decided how this will work out and for the glory of His kingdom this will all get worked out in the long run.

Saying that doesn’t easily make the sides of the argument agree. Saying that doesn’t make it easy for anyone either. Yet, it’s not the saying it that helps at all. It’s believing those words that allows us all to start to find an answer to situations like these. When we believe that we’re not in control and that He is in control instead allows us to keep a level head in these types of debates. That allows situations like this to not boil over and spill into other areas that have collateral damage. This knowledge will allow all three organizations to reach a compromise that not only helps all involved, but continues to advance His kingdom. It will allow the children of Norwalk to be served by these quality organizations today and for years to come.

It’s my sincere hope that those involved in this will work daily to glorify Christ in all the decisions they make. I know as a parent I’m extremely thankful for all that each of these organizations have done for our youth, and I look forward to years of their continued service to the community. It’s my sincere belief that this will be solved without anyone getting a black eye and that the Glory of God will be evident in the resolution.