Genesis 21:1-7

Perfect Timing

As you read this, I am likely a nervous wreck. Today I will be completing one of two performance exams for my master’s degree in music education. In a way, I started this degree when I was 25 years old, but I didn’t really finish it. Now, at the ripe old age of 40 I am finally doing so. (Please don’t laugh. I know!  Forty is not really that old, but I am often mistaken at school for a docent, so bear with me). My situation reminds me of today’s Scripture selection, and how God’s timing doesn’t always make sense to us, but very often leaves us with moments of unimaginable joy.

Since I was four years old, I have understood what it means to “walk with God”, even though perhaps the depth of understanding has changed with age. Although I had a difficult childhood and youth, when things didn’t go the way that I expected or wanted, I still knew I could trust him. I knew that just because he did things differently, it didn’t mean he was not faithful. I think my favorite story as a child was that of Joseph, which illustrated his faithfulness very well for me.

Growing into adulthood, the stories of Abraham and Sarah have become very meaningful. Like Abraham, I moved to a land not my own (Switzerland), and God impressed on me that he had plans for me here. When I first moved here I could not find a job because I did not have a Swiss diploma. Like Abraham, I needed to “start over.” In my case, that meant going back to school.

The process was not easy, and at times discouraging, but I knew that I was meant to study music. I have known it since I was seven years old. For various reasons, I couldn’t study music in the States. Now in Switzerland, I would be able to realize this dream. Halfway through my studies, however, I was unable to finish. I needed to take a maternity break which ended up being longer than I intended. I eventually wondered if I would ever actually finish. When my second child was born, I stopped thinking about it.

After ten years, I decided to go back and finish my degree. Again, I prepared for entrance exams. This time, everything went much smoother. Perhaps it was due to my familiarity with the subject matter and many of the docents and their expectations. Perhaps it was a smidge more maturity that comes along with ten years of life. What I am sure of is that God has always been in control of the timing. Perhaps it wasn’t “just right” back then for me to do what he had planned for me, just like it wasn’t “just right” for Sarah and Abraham to have a child “when everyone else did.” Now thirteen years later, the same child who came along in the middle of my first attempt to get my degree has begun his own music studies. We often practice together and those times are magical. If it had gone my way, we wouldn’t have had these moments. God’s timing is perfect.