Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us. Ephesians 3:20
In the last letter she wrote to George Burns before her death, Gracie Allen said, “Remember, don’t put a period where God puts a comma“. That seems to say don’t lose hope, God is still in charge.
There are times in everyone’s life where circumstances, problems, or failures make us want to quit, drop out, or just give up on things. We find ourselves thinking, “That’s it, I’m done. Period.” We put a period where only a comma is needed.
A period and a comma are two punctuation marks which look similar but have entirely different meanings. A comma means to pause, and it is used to connects things. A period means a full stop, and when its used, the sentence or thought is over.
The comma is used to encourage us while God is working on the situation we face. We can pause and rest because He has not given His final answer. We have hope in Him and in the resolution of the situation.
A period lets us know that it’s over, and God has spoken. When that happens, we need to obey and rest in the resolution.
Sadly, sometimes in our situations, we tend to rush to use a period when we really should use a comma. When we use the period before God is ready, we have basically lost hope. All through the Bible there are examples of people just like you and me who faced problems that seemed to have put their life on hold or full stop, but there was still hope. Hope is defined as the expectation of something good, and it is something we, as Christians, can count on because of what God has done and says He will continue to do.
When we are going through a crisis and tempted to put a period instead of a comma, there are three things we need to consider. First, God’s timing is always perfect. Secondly, God’s ways are not our ways. Finally, God always has the final say.
This past week as the Olympic Games in Tokyo continued, a situation reminded me that things are never over until God says they are over! An alternate gymnast for the U.S. team was preparing to board a plane back to her home state of Utah convinced that her Olympic career was over. Mykayla Skinner, the oldest alternate on the team, had accepted the fact that she would forever be an Olympian but not an Olympic medalist.
About that time, God said, “But wait, I haven’t said this is over.” Simone Biles withdrew from the competition, and by that evening, Skinner was back in her leotard and competing for a medal as she stepped in as an alternate. Only one gymnast earned a higher mark than she, and Mykala Skinner ended up a silver medalist! The door was also opened for Suni Lee and Jade Carey to take home medals! Don’t ever put a period where God puts a comma.
We can have some of the greatest encounters with God in the everyday experiences of life, but we have to be open and receptive otherwise we will miss it! Author William Barry once said, “Whether we are aware of it or not, at every moment of our existence we’re encountering God..who is trying to catch our attention…to draw us into a reciprocal conscious relationship.”
The difference in the period and the comma can change the entire meaning of a sentence just like their usage can change our trust in God’s timing. There is a time and place where everything connects like a comma. Imagination, faith, and effort come together with the spark of God’s grace and things become whole, real and good. Let’s use more commas and let God take care of the periods!