Devotion: A Godly Calendar
Take a moment to read this weekend’s scripture: Acts 1:6-14
I’ve been asked lately what I’ve done this summer. It reminds of the first day of school when your grade school teacher would hand out the iconic primary writing paper where the upper half was a space to color a picture and the lower half had the primary lines to describe what you drew.
I have tended to respond that it wasn’t an eventful summer. What I realize is that it wasn’t an event-full summer. I was busy but there was much spontaneity in my weekends. From a guy who lives by a calendar, it’s been a strange feeling. My calendar in the coming weeks feels more normal. And a bit overwhelming. It was even tough finding the time to work on this devotion this week.
Yet, this has always been my favorite time of year. The renewed energy around back-to-school. The new box of crayons. Students on campus. The crispness in the air. Football.
In this week’s lesson, the disciples are caught in their own moment of transition. Just before Jesus ascends into heaven, they are asking him about the future. They’re hoping for a timeline. But Jesus answers in a way that’s frustratingly vague. But promises they will be witnesses.
He doesn’t give them a schedule. He gives them a purpose.
As a planner, I too can become frustrated in how God works. I have to be reminded that He shows up in the interruptions. He calls me to witness even in the middle of a meeting, the grocery store line and the over scheduled Tuesday.
In Pastor Greg’s sermon, he reminded us that as we rush into our fall routines, we need to schedule our priorities. We need to be purposeful about what we put on our calendar. This way we focus on the things that matter to us and ultimately to God.
We can’t schedule God like another to-do. We need to learn to create space. To trust that if we pause, listen and watch, God will show up. Not on our timelines. But always in time.
Dear God,
As I move into busy days ahead, help me make space for You. Not in our plans, but in my pauses. Teach me to trust Your timing and to witness Your work in the everyday.
Amen.
Written by Randy Hawthorne
Having a rivaled human network, Randy makes it his personal mission to connect those humans to their next big thing. Randy has decades of experience in the nonprofit industry, having served as a professional and volunteer in a variety of organizations.
He enjoys mentoring students and entrepreneurs, occasionally makes his way to a theater stage, geeks out on local history and goes on dining adventures.
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