Five Minute Friday: NEAR

The reason I am writing my Five Minute Friday post on Saturday is that yesterday was a CRAZY day. 

I had to be at the university at 9 a.m. to spend two hours conducting interviews for teaching assistants for our course. 

Immediately after, I had to rush over to Jonathan's school so we could take him to a doctor's appointment. He sees a pediatric neurologist every six months because of his history of seizures, and her clinics are usually very busy. Yesterday we were there for over two hours: one-and-three-quarter hours of waiting, and fifteen minutes of actual appointment.

Then we had to take Jonathan back to school; it was nearly 2 p.m. by that point. Then I had to go back to pick him up again at 4 p.m. because he had stayed after school to participate for the first time in Special Olympics basketball. 

After supper I went out to a lecture and concert with a friend; it was really good and interesting, but very long. So I was glad to get to bed last night, wiped out from a day of running around.

At the beginning of the day, though, I'd been walking through the park on my way to campus and saw a guy coming toward me who often shows up at our church. He is intellectually disabled in some way; I'm not sure of his whole story. Because I walk pretty much everywhere and so does he, I often run into him. 

Most of the time he just looks as if he's upset with me and mutters something, so I don't always engage with him for very long -- and I was in a hurry this time. But when I said hello to him, he gave me a huge smile. "Is this Friday?" he said.

"Yes, it is," I said.

"And what date is it?" he asked, still smiling.

"Uh..." I paused; I hadn't been expecting a quiz! "December first."

"So, only one more month until 2018," he said, beaming.

"You know, you're right!" I said. "Isn't that amazing? Well, I should get going; bye!"

As we parted ways I thought, Wow, that puts it in perspective, doesn't it? Another month and 2017 will be past. Who would have thought the change to a new year was so near? 

Days can be packed with activity -- far more activity than I would have liked, yesterday -- and it's easy to just focus on the next thing, and the next, and the next ... just get through it and move on.

How do we make this month (the last one of 2017) really count? How do we keep from rushing numbly from event to event? 

"But when the fullness of time had come, 

God sent His Son..." 

(Galatians 4:4)

God sent Jesus at just the right time, placing Him right in the middle of our human life. God came up close and personal so that we could know Him -- so that we could be assured that even in the midst of our busy, fleeting days, He is near.