Come to me all ye who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (time out). Matthew 11:28
During this time of year, we tend to hear the words, time out a lot! Coaches with good game plans know the strategic times during a game to take time out so that they can assess the situation and strategize their next play! When a team calls for a time out, the clock stops and the game is paused. No playing happens during a time out.
Time outs come in life as well. Many of us have lived through illnesses of ourselves or those we love, diagnoses of diseases, Covid, job losses, money problems, relocation, retirement, and other stressful situations in life. It’s at this point we wish we could call time out and reassess our situation because we feel that things are spinning out of our control.
Five years ago this week, the lives of our family had a time out when we received a call early one morning that our Mama had died suddenly but painlessly. The clock stopped for all of us as we were forced to put aside our daily lives and deal with the grief that comes with losing a loved one.
Sometimes we have to be reminded that just because we are experiencing a time out, it doesn’t mean that the world stops. In fact, many times we see others going on with their lives as if nothing has happened. In all honesty, nothing has happened to them – it’s our time out.
As our family headed to the cemetery later that week with the cars in the processional, we came to the road where we would turn left across the busy highway. The patrolman leading our procession crossed over first, and as people realized it was a funeral, they began to stop and pull over to let us pass. At that moment, it struck me that it’s awfully special when we take the time in this life to stop, think about others, show respect, pray for them, and take a time out.
Jesus always stopped in his teaching and his ministry when people needed help. He took time out everywhere he went to show God’s love to others. Sometimes we are so busy saving the world in other ways that we ignore the times when a time out is needed for ourselves. Just like the Good Samaritan, we should be ready to stop for someone who’s hurting.
Last week a young man who was on the opposing team of our grandson’s team was hit and lay motionless on the football field. A time out is always called during an injury, but there are times when one knows that this not an ordinary instance. What do we do when a time out is not enough? When we need to do more? Surprisingly enough in this day and time, the teams huddled together and prayed. What a lesson for all of us! There are times when the only thing to which we can turn is prayer while we are in our time out.
The rests in a piece of music can be equated to time outs in life. There is no music during a rest or time out, but the rest is part of the making of the music. If we think of our lives as a melody, the music is separated here and there by rests, but the song has not ended. God brings a sudden pause or time out in the hymn of our lives, and we are wrong to complain when we have to be still and silent for a time.
God doesn’t write the music of our lives without a plan. The part we play is to learn the tune and not be discouraged when we have a rest or time out. Just as a musician counts the rests in a song and plays the next note with confidence, so we must remember the rest is part of the music just as time outs are part of life.
Don’t waste the time outs in life, rather learn from them.