We just finished the holiday season and are now between last Christmas and next – only 356 shopping days away.
You might not live from Christmas to Christmas like some, but we all tend just to wait for major life events, living for them. For some, it’s as simple as getting through the work week to the weekend. We all have an “in between” that we are enduring to get to the next event.
Many of us look past the opportunities in these in-between times. We fail to live the days to their fullest. We survive on our anticipation for the next big thing, instead of the joy that each day brings – though those joys may be very normal, regular things.
Joseph, the youngest in his family, received a grand promise from God in a dream, that everyone in his family would bow down to him, that he would be a great leader. In his time, where birthright was everything, this must have seemed impossible, but he believed it enough to share the dream with his whole family. God did fulfill his promise, but not until years and years of in-between time passed. That in-between was not easy for Joseph. He was sold in to slavery by his brothers, ended up in Egypt, and was thrown into prison. He was forgotten until the perfect moment, the God moment, where everything flipped on its head and he became the ruler of all of Egypt, under only Pharaoh himself.
But Joseph didn’t waste the in-between days, weeks, months, and years. He lived every one of them with commitment and obedience. He became the head of Potiphar’s household, then a trusted leader in prison. He was faithful, no matter his circumstances.
In the big picture, we are in between very significant events… Christ’s first coming and Christ’s second coming. We are 2000 years from the first and who knows how long from the second. How shall we live our lives in this in-between? We should strive to live each day with purpose. We should live lives of faithfulness and obedience, just like Joseph.
None of us know God’s purpose for us or how we affect those around us. The truth is, though, that our choices and how we live have an impact on others. As we live out love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, the people we interact with are presented with the kingdom reality.
There is purpose in the process. No matter what our path, we can choose to live our in-between times for the glory of God. We can trust that God will use us to bring about his glory in those around us.
Live the fruit of the Spirit today, in every moment as if the lives of the people around you depended on it. You represent the King and the kingdom. Be the difference in someone’s life today.