Interpreting the Time

"You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?" Luke 12:56

Yesterday, the dark came early. Daylight savings time ended early Sunday morning, many of us had an extra hour of sleep, and the morning was bright. But dark came early, radically shifting our perception of the day. It is now a winter's sky we see, it is now a winter's sunrise. We have shifted our understanding of how the world works in one day. And yet it always takes me longer than a single day to adjust to the change in light and shadows, to autumnal skies and the promise of winter around the corner. My body fights to hang on to the light and recoils from the idea of winter. I love the winter, really, it's just the adjustment, the transition that is hard.We as a nation are in a season of major adjustments - financial crisis and political uncertainty surround us. Tomorrow we will vote and have new leadership. Whatever happens, whomever is elected, we will still have to deal with massive transitions. None of us are great at adjustments and transitions, even when our leader has been victorious. Change is something we ache for and when it comes, something we fight against.

Today, I want to be attempt to be more patient with my own adjustment periods as well as the world around me. I have been flustered trying to keep up with the price of gas - first it skyrocketed and now it is diving down. Elections will bring a new set of adjustments for me. But the real adjustments, the spiritual changes, the movement towards contemplation and meditation, the desire for insight and peace - well, these take a great deal of pateince on my part. I pray that we will all be moved to compassion for ourselves and one another as we move through these changing times. Whether it is a change of routine, a change of diet, a change of schedule, or a radical change in life style and income- all of these things need pateince and compassion. Our minds might embrace them but our hearts and bodies resist. It is just such times as these when we are invited to use all the patience, peace, love and compassion we have within us, for ourselves and one another. May God grant us the patience to see us through these changing times.