“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.”

Ephesians 1:7-10

When I was a young boy, my family would spend about every third Sunday afternoon driving to a nearby town to visit some of our older relatives. While the drive was only a bit more than an hour, to a young boy of seven, time in the car seemed to drag on in slow motion.

The farm fields flashing past on the way held then familiar land marks: the crooked oak tree on US Route 150 that bent into the west wind was the signal that coming in the next 10 minutes was the rusting Ford Ferguson tractor left in an overgrown pasture, weeds growing into its now silent engine. Next would come the peeling seed-corn ads on the sun-worn side of a barn shouting the merits of Funk’s G Hybrid (“It’s golden!”)

My three older brothers rode in the back seat of my parent’s black Pontiac Bonneville, and I sat up front between my parents.

Time, it seemed, felt agonizingly. . . endless.

After finding the end of my patience too soon, I remember leaning my head against my dad in despair and asking a well-worn question:

“Dad . . . how much longer?”

Driving with one hand, he’d pat my leg with the other and reply,

“Almost there, son . . . not much longer now.”

Sound familiar? What goes through your mind as you wait?

Continue reading “The Fullness of Time” →