"now is the appointed time"....

As I was driving home last night throught the hills, by the lakes and river that lead to our place, the quietness pierced my heart. In the background, one of my favorite (Mary Beth Carlson!) praise/worship tapes was softly playing…..
It was a great time to be still, and to reflect and to hear the voice that comforts, leads and enourages.  A verse from 2 Corthinthians 6 (and cross-referenced to Is. 49) came to mind.
“NOW is the appointed time, the acceptable time….I have called you – even before you were born. I made you….unique, special and for a very special purpose. And now….now is the appointed time. Is it too small a thing that you should be my vessel to share the gifts and talents I have given you?”
“Now….even now as it  has been a time of affliction and a time requiring much endurance; Even though it has been a time of hardhip,  a time requiring much patience; even in dry and hungry times.  But it has also been a time of genuine love and kindness, with truth, and with My power sustaining you , and with my weapon of righteousness (making right choices/uses), whether you have been on a mountain top of glory or when you have been dishonored; or when in good report or when others are telling you are wrong.   NOW is the appointed time. ”
As I continued to drive, the stars began to peek out from behind the night clouds, and the moon, ever so bright, began to emerge and shine on the expanse of the forested road. I became encouraged, for it HAS been a dry time for me of late; a time when I wrestled heavily with my worthiness as a wife, a mom, a friend, a peer.  It has been especially hard with my physical assaults  and challenges. I look fine on the outside, but inside the pain is searing.  I’ve been tired, in distress, lacking endurance and certainly not patient. I wonder if anyone can see?
But now IS the time. It is time to say “in spite of it all, there IS hope, and there IS a new day, a new beginning.” Maybe I can’t do what I want each day. But as a dear friend would say “pain is inevitable, but misery is optional.”
Someday we will know the rhyme, reason and purpose for all this. Until then, I know we have each other, and now IS the time. What an exciting time to be launched back into writing, speaking and encouraging…..