As Time Goes By

I cannot believe that Patrick has been gone for three weeks.  In one sense, it's hard to believe that it has been that long.  Teaching school has kept me quite busy, and my friends have been wonderful!  I can honestly say that I had no idea how my time would fly by during the day.

On the other hand, it feels like his return will never come.  As each hour goes by, and I am glued to my phone in case he calls, I cannot say that time moves quickly.

Through this experience, I can say that I truly understand the fervor with which we are to wait for the return of Jesus.  I know that Patrick loves me more than any other earthly thing.  He is gone from me now to prepare a financial future for our family.  Although I miss him terribly, I understand why he must go and what my job is while he is gone.  I am to keep our house in order, keep our friends up to date on his activity, and faithfully wait for his return.  But perhaps the hardest part of Patrick's absence is keeping our relationship strong through mostly indirect communication.  We talk on the phone for a few minutes each week.  All other conversation is through letters.  I have found that I must make time in my day to write Patrick.  It is not always the most gratifying thing to do with my time because there is not immediate response.  But it is absolutely necessary that we stay in close contact with each other if we are to smoothly transition back into a shared life when he returns.

Our experience as Christians is not so different from this.  Jesus, who loves us enough to lay down His life for us, has joined us in the unbreakable union of salvation. However, He has gone, for a time,  to prepare a place for us with Him.  While He is gone, we have a job of our own.  We are to keep our spiritual house in order, by removing sin from our lives and working towards a more holy life.  We are to keep everyone involved in his movements, whether that's encouraging a Christan friend with scripture, or sharing the gospel with someone who has never heard of Jesus.  We are also to eagerly await His return, counting down the days until we can be united.  However, for me, the hardest part of my spiritual life with Jesus is keeping our relationship strong through communication.  I do not always make time to spend with the Lord through reading my Bible and prayer.  Yes, I may pray several small prayers throughout the day, and that is good, but what am I doing to deepen my bond with Jesus?  One huge comfort is that Jesus is unchanging, and He does not depend on my effort to stay connected to me.  But I must make a more concerted effort to spend time with Him if I am to stay close to Him.

Yes, as time goes by, God is teaching me a lot.  Although I do not wish for time away from Patrick, I am glad that the Lord is using this to teach me how to love Him and serve Him more.