We live in a fast-paced world. My friend and I laugh about the time she wanted her husband to do a remodeling project at their house. In case you don’t know it, you can’t just ‘do’ a remodeling project.
There are always phases to it. There is an order in how things need to get done. But to my friend, it would be easy. She couldn’t see all the planning and preparation needed to make it all work. She said to her husband, “All you have to do is zip, zip, zip and it’s done!”
Did you ever feel that way? You want something finished fast…. but you are told it takes time. But you don’t want it to take time…you want it done…now. I know I feel that way at times.
The Coronavirus has forced many of us to take a slower pace. We all got used to Amazon 1-day shipping (zip, zip, zip it’s here), fast food restaurants (zip, zip, zip through the drive-thru), and stopping at the store for a few items (zip, zip, zip a quick walk down the aisle for some paper towels.) Life takes a little more planning and preparation these days. Things that used to happen at a zip, zip, zip pace need to be done in a more thoughtful and organized way.
Have you ever seen pictures like this of Noah’s ark? It’s a small, cute boat filled with happy animals and people that are squeezed onboard? That kind of ark would not have taken much planning and preparation. With just a hammer and nails-zip, zip, zip and you have an ark all ready for the flood!
Well, the ark was not that small, that cute, or that easy. In Genesis 6, God was very specific and told Noah exactly how big to make the ark (300 cubits which is about the size of 1 1⁄2 football fields), what kind of materials to use (gopherwood), and how He wanted it built (a window, a door and several decks). As a matter of fact, it took Noah and his sons many, many years to build it.
There were no power tools or cranes. Everything was done by hand and exactly the way God wanted it.
It was done in God’s timing, not Noah’s.
When we are young, we want to hurry up and be adults (zip, zip, zip – I am an adult! Yay!) We want to take a short cut and not plan and prepare for all that is necessary to be an adult that is ready to handle a job, responsibility, marriage and raising children.
Even Jesus was born as a baby. He was fully God and fully man, meaning he was once a child as well as God’s son. He grew up, had birthdays, and learned from his teachers and parents/guardians, just like you. The Bible says in Luke 2:52 (NLT) Jesus grew strong in mind and body. He grew in favor with God and men.
Jesus did not take any shortcuts. There was no zip, zip, zip for him. According to Luke 3:23, Jesus was about 30 years old when he began his public ministry. There was planning and preparation before he could begin traveling around doing all the things God had planned for him.
So, when you are feeling anxious to get ‘adulting’, remember that God had a plan for Jesus to grow in mind and body, and He has a plan for you to grow in mind and body. Read your Bible, pray, go to church (online church is widely available now if you can’t go physically), eat good foods and get exercise.
Some day we will get back to a zip, zip, zip kind of world. Amazon will once again ship things quickly (it is already getting better), the shelves will get filled with toilet paper and paper towels, and we will be free to go where we want without so much planning. But for now, stay healthy in mind, body, and spirit.
Love and Prayers,
Jesse and Shirley