“Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!” Isaiah 30:18 (NIV)
“You’re in time out.” Oh those words sting. I remember them well when my son was a runaway toddler. Age two – four seemed like a long stride, especially to this working mom. So the miniature rocking chair in our kitchen was often filled by that sweet little boy. He twisted, wiggled and resisted every minute of it, but eventually he grabbed the lesson.
Sound familiar? As adults we don’t like time out either, but sometimes it’s the only way God can get our attention. Being sidelined definitely positions us in God’s classroom, but it doesn’t necessarily mean we were being disobedient. Sometimes God pulls us out of the chaos, noise and distractions so that He can speak into our lives uninterrupted. Sometimes, He simply wants us to find rest for our tired souls – to climb up in His lap and seek refuge to avoid burnout. Sometimes He re-focuses us for a greater work and that time out allows God to put everything into place for the next step. And yes, sometimes disobedience does land us in that chair – sidelined until repentance lifts us back up.
Regardless God intends for us to learn and grow. Unfortunately, we too often twist, wiggle and resist every minute. We forego a temporary setback and plunge forward determined to do life our way. And the end result – we will discover that time out will chase us until we surrender and grab the lesson. “You’re in time out” may be the sweetest words we will ever hear.
“Father, help us to draw near to You even when doing so means letting everything else go.”
For His Glory
Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life









