The Watchmaker

Summary

The author reflects on the interplay between faith, time, and personal growth, emphasizing the power of intention and prayer in shaping one's future.

Abstract

The article titled "The Watchmaker" delves into the author's personal journey, illustrating how their faith has provided a framework for understanding life's challenges and the passage of time. Drawing from biblical verses, the author conveys a profound trust in divine timing and the potential for positive change through belief and prayer. The narrative recounts the author's transformation from skepticism to embracing their calling as a writer, encouraged by prophetic words at a Bible retreat and the support of a community member. The piece underscores the importance of patience and the belief that God's plans unfold in their own time, often in unexpected and awe-inspiring ways.

Opinions

The author believes in the sovereignty of God's timing, as expressed in biblical references such as 2 Peter 3:8 and Ecclesiastes 3.
They hold the conviction that change is possible through intention and prayer, as supported by their personal experiences and the realization of their writing aspirations.
The author suggests that life's trials and tribulations are part of a divine plan, which may only be fully understood in retrospect.
There is an opinion that God prepares individuals for their destinies, even when they are unaware, as illustrated by the author's journey to becoming a writer.
The author expresses that patience and faith are crucial during periods of waiting for dreams and aspirations to materialize.
They imply that human perception of time is limited compared to the eternal perspective of God, which can transform even the longest wait into a momentary experience.

The Watchmaker

When I saw this weekend’s prompt, I simply knew this was what I had been waiting on to write for KTHT. At first glance, “ Poised On An Arc Of A Grand Cycle Of Time,” may sound a bit complicated, perhaps bringing to mind Carl Sagan and something on par with his books.

But for me, the first thing that came to mind is this Bible Verse : “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day” (2 Peter 3:8)

You see, time for me is intimately entwined with my faith, my life thus far and hopes that I have for the future.

There are times when things happen to us seemingly without any rhyme or reason on account of which we have to go through loops, twists and seemingly dead end alleys in our lifetimes. I am referring to the inevitable curveballs life throws at us — chronic health issues, relationship woes, gut-wrenching betrayals, ostracism, to name a few and how I have managed to overcome them in the last eight years. But there is oftentimes a certain order to the chaos. Since we are not privy to the big picture, the reasons for why things had to happen a certain way in order to make way for other things will only be revealed in due time:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

As I stand poised on an arc of this grand cycle of time, if I were to ask myself “Yana, do you believe change is possible by the power of intention and prayer for its manifestation?” My answer would be yes. Please note, I am not referring to overconfidence in my abilities here.

You may then wonder, how does she know things she hopes for will manifest itself? It is simply because that is the cornerstone of my faith:

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” — Hebrews 11:1

I recall being told by a gentle soul at a Bible retreat six years ago that God was preparing me to be a writer. At that time I was both amused and daunted by the idea because I have always been under the impression that writing meant using a lot of big words and profound thinking that was reserved only for those with a high level of intellect. So even though I laughed off her prophetic words at that time, that didn’t stop God’s plans from manifesting at the time He deemed right.

I was again reminded of that conversation recently by a remark of a fellow member of the support group I belong to: “Yana, you should write, I think you’ll make a good writer.”

This time around I decided to give writing a try spurred on by her confidence in me. When my first story “My Hero The Houseplant” was published on Medium, I asked her “How did you know there was a writer in me which even I wasn’t aware of?” Her response blew me away “ We hear the way you share, it resonates with all of us so why would it be hard to think you can write the same way you speak?”

Sometimes it takes years for intentions to manifest, sometimes mere hours. I’ve also realized that such things cannot be forced or rushed because as Ecclesiastes 3 puts it:

“There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens.”

The takeaway here is the Lord keeps His promises in His own timing. God is not bound by perception or limitations of time as we mortals are. Just because we are hoping and praying for something to happen, doesn’t mean it won’t happen. It will happen but not according to our timing but His. And here’s the secret: It may not even manifest in the way our finite minds may imagine it to happen but when it does, it can happen in ways that are much bigger and better that we are once again left in awe by His power.

For example, He maybe using this time of my waiting on a long desired dream to take fruit by preparing me in order to be ready to accept this blessing when it manifests. As Rick Warren puts it: “God changes caterpillars into butterflies, sand into pearls, and coal into diamonds using time and pressure, He’s working on you too.” So in the meantime, I take comfort in knowing that even though I may not see it, He is working behind the scenes on my behalf and the grand reveal will happen when the time is right.

This vignette from Creation Ministries helps put things in perspective “ No matter how long a time interval is from man’s time-bound perspective, it’s like a twinkling of an eye from God’s eternal perspective.”

Thank you for reading and many thanks to Diana C for the evocative prompt.