Less Than Perfect

James and I picked a very unusual time in history to move. While people were holed up in their homes, the Vernots were moving from one home to another. The Lord provided the house that we needed and more, and we were so excited to begin the new adventure. Like any woman, I started imagining my furnishings in our new home and where everything would go. We bought a new couch for the living room, new furniture for our master bedroom, and new appliances for the kitchen. Everything was in chaos for the first month, but I told myself everything would be settled soon. However, we didn’t keep in mind that Covid-19 was changing everything. We waited and waited for our furniture and appliances to be delivered. As I write today, my husband and I are still sleeping on the floor; we have no couch in our main living room; James literally made a microwave handle out of wood so that I could at least open the door; and with every wash my dishwasher seemingly loses another part.

Well, the end of May was approaching, and I had a recital planned for my students at our home. To say I was disappointed my home was not in order was an understatement. So, I had a choice to cancel the event or to proceed with less than desirable circumstances. Thankfully, I chose the latter, and the recital was beautiful. The children performed wonderfully, and the reception was just delightful for everyone involved.

I use this light, inconsequential story to illustrate a very important principle. If we always wait for our lives to be in order to proceed, we will never get much accomplished. If we wait till our homes are in perfect order to have company, we will rarely have guests in our home. This principle applies to our spiritual lives as well. If we wait to do one more Bible study on prayer before we have meaningful, intimate conversations with Jesus, we will miss much or never actually get started. If we wait for the perfect time to share Jesus with our neighbors, they may never hear about the Good News we have to share.

A couple things James and I have been reminded of during these months of quarantine is the urgency of time and the frailty human life. Our world is a mess and in need of Jesus. If we keep waiting for our plans to align to do the work of a disciple of Jesus, we may miss our opportunities. There are 21,000 people dying of hunger each day. It is estimated that over 400 billion dollars will be spent on illegal drugs this year alone. There have been more deaths from suicide this year than from the coronavirus. Sure, our circumstances may be far from perfect; our education may be lacking; and our bank account may be riding bottom. But God calls broken, unqualified sinners to GO into this imperfect world to present the Gospel. The time is now, not when our little worlds are in order.

"Behold, now is the day of salvation."

2 Corinthians 6:2