Examination Time By Dr. Juan Harrison
Examination Time
The Bible tells us to “Be still and know that I am God.” Good luck with that, especially the first part. It took a worldwide pandemic to bring things to a screeching halt. Getting people to sit still for a moment, especially the youngers, would be like herding cats. For a couple of years now, depending on what part of the country you’re in, our daily lives and routines have taken a hit. Some have lived through lockdowns while others had to put a mask on going into some businesses or offices.
Like popping corn, when the heat gets to them, those little kernels are going to pop up and explode. Yea watch them at the snack bar as they push up the top of the popper and start pouring over the side. Looking around our country and in others we’re seeing the popcorn pushing on the lid and starting to refuse to stay put. The Bible predicted an increase in activity in the end times as people would be going to and fro over the earth. It’s become an inalienable right, the right of movement. Traffic is heavier than ever, even in small towns and out in the country. Higher gas prices seem to have little effect. Unless we’re almost too feeble or disabled to move, a majority of the folks have got to be moving. A handful of guys like me are fairly content to hang around the house unless we’re motivated to run and get a burger and fries.
We might finally get ourselves to staying put a little more, but we don’t leave much room or time to hear or communicate with a higher power as we stay tuned to our televisions for news and entertainment to break the boredom or loneliness. When you do turn off all the TV’s in the house, you may be surprised at the silence. It almost seems strange. You may hear the fridge humming or the AC outside rattling. You can hear dogs barking and traffic going by.
Maybe for a few of us the pandemic has helped slow us down a bit as some rediscovered old hobbies and flowerpots needing filling. Maybe some families reconnected while others were separated by walls or plexiglass. Maybe we had a little more time to think, especially if work found us at home or not working at all.
It’s been a strange and sometimes costly experience for a number of us. If Someone did get our attention for a moment as He did after 9/11, it could be a good thing. If it jarred us loose from our routine of going and coming, then maybe it caused us to stop for a moment and think about things with a longer effect than what was happening then. I guess we could call that finding a silver lining in the cloud hanging over us recently. Hopefully it was a gentle pinch to wake us up and look around to see if we couldn’t find a little time for some life examination.
By Dr. Juan Harrison
