Timing

Timing is so important. It is the common denominator of every great comedian from Red Skelton and Jack Benny to Bill Cosby and Jerry Seinfeld. It is the secret of so many things, from cooking to commodities trading, and it can be the difference between success and failure in any endeavor. Did you know that you can do the right thing at the wrong time and it will end up being the wrong thing? Ask Moses. Timing is critical.

The number one enemy of God’s timing is impatience. His plan is best, and His timing is perfect, but we often get impatient. My friend Jeannette Clift George likes to say with a chuckle that God has never been late, although He has missed many good opportunities to come early! I can identify with that sentiment. We have the mistaken idea that to be impatient is a show of strength—but just the opposite is true. When you see someone walking a dog that is straining on the leash, bucking and snorting and choking—do you think the problem is that his master is moving too slowly, or that the dog has not learned to heel?

It is a great day when a man or woman decides to put their talents and abilities and passions to work for God’s cause. It is a greater day when that same person waits for God to say how and where and when.