It was one of those weird moments when you perceive the speed at which the brain processes information. I was stopped at a traffic light. Suddenly, I sensed I was moving/ pressed the brake harder/ kept moving/ felt my heart in my throat/ feared for an imminent accident/ panic rising. It was then I realized that the vehicle beside me was backing up! I continued to sit still! Not exactly a flashing-before-my-eyes event, but for a split second, it was a ‘moving’ experience.
For my last physical check-up, scheduled for 9:30 AM, I was requested to arrive at least 15 minutes early to fill out (for the nth time) several pages of repetitious paperwork. That completed, there was nothing to do but watch the clock on the wall advance to 9:40, 9:50, 9:55, when a smiling nurse called my name. Of course, I was the picture of serenity, having greatly appreciated the bonus 25 minutes to myself, well, with the other eight people next to me, of course. And the medical TV on the wall, had, in the meantime, outlined the treatments of six or seven devastating diseases I’d never heard of previously.
Another time, in an airplane on a sunny day, I was looking out the window watching the scenery far below. Despite knowing the plane was traveling at around 500 mph, looking out, it was difficult to sense forward motion. The drone of the engines gave evidence that we were advancing, but it seemed to take a very long time to pass by what must have been a small lake glinting like a faceted diamond in the sunshine (I know, I should have paid more attention in physics class).
Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher, uttered these now-familiar words: “The only constant in life is change.” So, whether we perceive rapid change or little change, it’s just that, our perception. Denial of this maxim is heard in, “It’s weird being the same age as old people.”
The incredibly good news is that we do have a fixed point in God. He declares, in Exodus 3:14: “I AM that I AM.” He is the eternally present One, unchanging, unchangeable. Peter tells us, in 2 Peter 3:8, TPT: “. . . a single day counts like a thousand years to the Lord Yahweh, and a thousand years counts as one day.” From Jesus, in Matthew 28, we hear: “I am with you day after day after day until the very end of the age.” Hebrews 13:5 TPT says: “I will never leave you, never! And I will never loosen my grip on your life!” We worship with the lyrics: “Faithful One, so unchanging! Ageless One, you’re my Rock of Peace. Lord of All, I depend on you . . .” (Vineyard Worship, song by Brian Doerksen).
So whether you’re at a standstill at a traffic light, or waiting patiently (no pun intended) in a doctor’s office, or speeding through the sky in a Boeing 747, there is God at your side, inviting you to Himself – still. PD
