GOD’S PERFECT TIMING THIS CHRISTMAS
“But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman…” Gal 4:4
The morning air in Baltimore was crisp as my plane touched down at 8:30 am, fresh from Florida. I stepped off the aircraft, my mind already racing ahead to the daily parking shuttle. I wanted to avoid the frustration of missing a bus and waiting in the cold, so I moved quickly, my backpack bouncing with each hurried step. My heart was set on efficiency and speed, as if the world would pause if I didn’t keep up the pace. But then, a gentle nudge, almost a whisper, made me pause. It was a feeling, an intuitive thought that seemed to come from somewhere deeper. “Slow down,” it said. “Be aware. When you rush, you often get ahead of Me, and I am seldom in a hurry.”
I took a deep breath, the weight of the realization settling over me. I slowed my pace, intentionally shifting to a rhythm that felt more aligned with the subtle, patient timing I believed was God’s. I moved as if I were listening for something beyond the noise and the rush around me.
At the bus stop, I noticed a young man standing with an air of quiet frustration. He wore the traditional attire of an Orthodox Jew—his dark coat and yarmulke marking him apart from the sea of travelers. He looked at me and hesitated before speaking. “Do you have Venmo?” he asked. His voice carried the hint of urgency, but also a trace of vulnerability. “I left my credit card back home in Chicago, and I need someone to help pay for my parking.”
A sliver of doubt crossed my mind—could this be a scam? But as I stood there, I realized I was in a moment that wasn’t just about convenience; it was about listening and responding, moving at a God-given pace. I nodded, agreeing to accompany him to his car.
The parking garage was massive, a labyrinth of steel and concrete spanning twelve stories with thousands of cars. We started walking, exchanging small talk, and soon, we were in a conversation that was more meaningful than I had expected. He told me about his life as a college student at Hopkins, his deep-rooted Jewish faith, and the love he had for Israel. I shared bits of my story, my pursuit of Jesus, the way my faith had shaped my choices and my outlook on life.
As we rode the elevator up to our floor, we talked about traditions, beliefs, and the common threads that connect people beyond their differences. We reached the top, and as we walked toward our cars, the serendipity struck me. We had parked on the same floor. And then, even more strangely, our cars were parked right next to each other. We stopped and looked at one another, a mutual understanding passing silently between us. There was something sacred about the moment, a whisper of God’s timing.
Before we parted, we exchanged phone numbers, and I invited him to dinner. He smiled, and I drove away with a sense of wonder. It was only then that I thought back to the beginning—what if I had rushed? What if I had been so caught up in my human pace those days earlier when I arrived at the airport, that I had missed this divine encounter the first time when we originally parked next to each other.
It made me grateful, not just for the moment itself, but for the reminder that God’s timing is perfect, always orchestrating connections and moments that we could never engineer on our own. And so, I was thankful that I had chosen to slow down and walk to the rhythm He set, even if just for that one morning.”
May God give us sensitivity to His pace, guidance and timing this Christmas Season!
