Great Timing

I had another one of those “Okay, I get it Lord. Thank You,” moments again tonight.

It was a good day today. A meeting with the township on ways to help our unemployed is moving right along. Good things will come of this. My cleaning lady came over (and I had time to clean up before she came), and she was in a difficult mood. It seems her grown up son isn’t so grown up, and we had a long discussion about it – after she had a long rant about it. But it ended well; she just needed someone to talk to, then she went about her business – and mine.

Getting to mom’s this evening, she appeared in a good mood. We talked some and then settled down to watch television. She grew bored with her game shows and so we flipped around channels looking for something of interest to her. As the evening wore on, she seemed more interested in various shows. At 9PM, her usual bedtime, she commented that she was not tired yet and would stay up for a little while. At 9:30 and 10, she was asking for more coffee and not at all interested in going to bed. Finally at 10:30 she said “Wow, it’s way past my bedtime; please take me to bed.” And I did.

By the time I was leaving her house, I questioned myself: “Should I stop at the chapel and pray my evening rosary and night prayers, or should I just go home?” I leaned toward the chapel, and so was driving in that direction when my cell phone beeped a text message arriving. Only one person texts me, so I pulled over and glanced at the text: “With mom @ UoM hospital. Surgery likely tomorrow.” I sent a note back: “Good timg. On way to church now.” And so I prayed for my friend and her mother. But before I did, I said a side comment to Jesus: “Okay, I get it Lord. Thank You. I understand why my mom stayed up way passed her normal bed time, and it was a good thing that I was delayed so I could receive this message and then pray for my friends, who you entrusted to my care. My Jesus, You know I trust in You.”

How often does that happen, when things don’t seem to be going as they usually do, or as we want them to, and perhaps we get irritated, but then later we realize that there was a good which came out of it. I wrote here a few months back about being delayed one night and then coming across a recent accident, one which I perhaps avoided being in because I was delayed. How often do these “bad” irritating things turn out to be good things, but we just didn’t realize it at the time? How often are they really good things and we NEVER realize it? Just when are we ever going to get it through our thick heads that God intends good things for us --- even if we don’t understand them? Just when are we REALLY going to trust Him, in all things? Just when are we going to trust not in our plans and timing, but in His Great Timing?

As much as I pray: “My Jesus, I trust in You”, just how sincere is my prayer? I wonder.