He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others.
He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.
Daniel 2:21

My times are in your hands.
Psalm 31:15a

As I was driving in to work one morning, I passed a local fruit and vegetable stand. The man who runs it was putting out his wares for the day. He had tables full of melons, tomatoes, peaches and all kinds of vegetables. I thought to myself, “How in the world does he make enough to keep this place going? Obviously he can’t make over two to three dollars profit on each basket or item sold.” Then it was as if the Lord said to me, “He has to look at the big picture. He can’t look at each sale of the day or even the sales for the week. He has to count the profit at the end of the month or maybe the end of the season. And in the meantime, he has to faithfully attend to his produce, culling out any items that may have gotten overripe or gone bad overnight. He has to cover them or take them in at night and bring them back out in the morning. He has to sit there all day expectantly, whether he has a customer or not. And he has to do this one day at a time, one week at a time until the season is over.”

Does the job seem mundane? I’m sure it does. Does it seem unprofitable at times? Absolutely! Does it all seem an act of futility in the big scheme of life? No doubt! Then why is this fruit stand even necessary? Well, first of all, it provides a means of livelihood for both the owner and the worker. It provides a service to people to enrich their life. It provides a sense of accomplishment as daily duties are performed and people are served. And lastly, it is where these people are destined to be at this particular time in life whether by choice or by happenstance.

Does this all sound too familiar to you? It does to me! There are times when I ask myself each of those questions and in the moments that follow, I have a choice to make. Do I trust my Heavenly Father enough to believe that at this moment in time I am right where I’m supposed to be, doing exactly what I’m supposed to be doing…and if not, that He will show me differently? Am I too busy complaining to count the blessings of the moment? Am I looking at a single day’s accomplishment instead of looking at the big picture? Am I looking at this present session instead of looking at the whole season of my life?

“Lord, help me to see ‘my times’ through Your eyes
and adjust my attitude accordingly.”