Rethink your schedule for eternal reasons....

by Ken Akers

Let me be up-front. I hate being late.

If I am on time, I think I am late. After years of constant travel, I still arrive at the airport two hours early, even for domestic flights. One of my pet peeves is people who constantly run behind. When I lead an event, I start on time and end on time. In my opinion, being courteous of people’s time is the right thing to do. It has been difficult for me to learn to be more tolerant of those who are not as uptight about time as I am.

In 1999, I made my first trip to Haiti. Upon arriving, the missionary instructed me to remove my watch and tape a calendar to my arm. It seems time on the islands runs slower than any place I had ever experienced. (And I was raised in the mountains of eastern Kentucky where time also seems to run slowly.)

In 2000, I began working for Free Will Baptist Master’s Men. Soon, I was contacted by home missionaries in Puerto Rico about bringing a group of volunteers down to help. When I arrived, I discovered the same mindset as Haiti. Don’t get in a hurry!

The Wednesday night service was scheduled for 7:00. When we arrived with the preacher at 7:30, I was anxious about being so late…but we were the first ones to arrive. While I expected to get into the church and get started, upon arriving we met a homeless man. I say homeless in the sense he had a small shack and no one to share it with. While he was hoping for money or food, God had bigger plans. After talking to the gentleman and hearing his story and seeing his needs, we were able to minister to his physical needs and his spiritual needs. That night God saved this man…on His time, not mine.

If we had been "on time," we might have missed a divine appointment directed by God. Over the years, I have experienced many other divine appointments God arranged for me. I have learned to concentrate on being where God wants when He wants me there. While I still don’t like being late, I have learned to relax, understand there may be a reason I'm there, and look for what God wants me to do.

In Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, God reminds us there is a time for everything. And Isaiah 40:31 says if we wait on the Lord, He will renew our strength. We will run and not be weary and walk and not faint. What are you waiting for? Get on God’s time.

About the Writer: Ken Akers is director of Free Will Baptist Master’s Men. Learn more: www.fwbmastersmen.org.