Same Page
Can we be on the same page?

I’m enjoying the time with my newly retired bride. We escaped to a local spot and enjoyed simply vegging out. No schedule, nor commitments. Noone calling. Well, almost no one! There have been a few reach outs but we’ve enjoyed the quietness.

In fact, quick naps are in order! For me, endless cups of hot coffee, feet propped up, and supreme quietness. The one thing I realize, this is simply a temporary respite. Life does not have a way of slowing down, until it needs to slow down.

The one thing I’ve noted, and perhaps this is true for everyone, it’s difficult to get on the same page, or clock, for the day. Since I require less sleep, and my nap times are simply powerfully done in 15 minutes or so, we find that we are not in tune. Of course, my extra time alone is generally spent with office/blog work – shhh! Don’t make too much noise!

As we accustom ourselves to this new world, our schedules will slowly slide to the same pace.

My bride and I are often on the same page of unspoken thoughts, blurting something that the other was thinking! Sometime it’s the same sentence we speak at the same time! That’s silent tuning! Other times we speak out of turn, pointing the other into a direction not ready to be handled.

It’s good to be on the same page, but it doesn’t come by accident!

Here’s My Thought Today

We know that God never sleeps nor slumbers (Psalms 121:4), and his eyes go to and fro constantly looking out for his creation (2 Chronicles 16:9), we understand his pace is different than ours. I can never keep up with his schedule, nor do I want to try. What I do want to focus on is keeping my schedule in tune with Him…

A friend posted early this morning (different time zone):

If it’s not God’s time,
you can’t force it.
When it’s God’s time,
You can’t stop it.

Notice the focus. It’s all about God’s timing. You prepare yourself to act when it’s time, and be ready to act when I’ve says the timing is ripe.

My focus is often planning something to death, and then struggling with the implementation. Why? I seldom plan in a vacuum, garner input and buy-in from stakeholders, but when it’s time to put action to plan – it’s hard to let the delegated work flow without me involved.

I’m a hand’s on type of person.

The older I get, and the wiser my gray head tells me I am, then it becomes easier to let others do their part of the work and me release them to not do it as I would do.

Why now, and not when I was younger?

Stamina, personal strength, priorities, too much else to do on my plate. Or any host of other reasons that make sense to me!

Joshua

Think about Moses returning to Egypt at the age of 80 to accomplish God’s plan to free Israel. Remember. His Timing, not ours. Then, for 40 years Israel rumbles around the wilderness before it’s time to cross into the promised land.

Joshua is younger, and he’s very much involved with Moses throughout the 40 years. Jesse (Moses’ father-in-law) already taught Moses how to delegate authority through the nation, but Joshua is still key to the plan for the future.

I wonder if Joshua ever thought he would be the next national leader? If so, 40 years seems to be a long time sitting in the training seat! However, when it was God’s timing the switch happened. Moses passes off the scene, and Joshua steps into the void.

At the right time and place. It was decades in the planning.

Was Joshua always on the same page as Moses? I’m not sure. It seems so.

At this age of life, maybe more than ever before, I want to make sure I’m on the same page with God, my bride and my church…

What happens when you act from a different chapter of life than the chapter you’re living? Most likely it’s a disastrous outcome. Let’s get on the Same Page! Share on X

By Michael Gurley

Making Sense of Life, One Thought at a Time!