Never late...Rarely early

This morning, in my moments between chaos and crazy, I spent some time with the Lord thanking him for his provisions throughout the coming day. Though consistency can be somewhat challenging as I learn to balance my new life of three, I find that these sweet moments alone in the morning (coffee in hand) allow me to focus clearly on the rest of the day with the correct perspective.

This morning I was reading in Jeremiah 5 and this verse stood out among the rest:

"Let us fear the Lord our God, who gives autumn and spring rains in season, who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest."  ~ Jeremiah 5:25

Here in chapter 5, along with the previous chapters, the Lord is working through the reasons why he must punish the people throughout the land. Though they were once close, they had chosen to completely walk away, worshiping false Gods, continually backsliding and rebelling, perversion...and the list goes on. The Lord's conversations with Jeremiah are based around how He will get His people to know and acknowledge him again, and the appropriate means to do this.

The above verse is embedded within a conversation of just that. The Lord is showing Jeremiah exactly what the people of that land are not doing; however, this verse stuck out to me as a promise.

So many times in life we feel that the hurry to fulfill or accomplish provides the better order in life. Being a planner in all areas of life, I understand the struggle between having everything ready ahead of time and waiting patiently for the direction from the Lord. I can feel the stress creeping in when the weeks are nearing a decision and there isn't the clear direction following the deadline. The Lord is continually having to teach me the beauty of the journey and freedom of trust and letting go. If I slow down and focus on each day as it comes, life becomes so much more enjoyable without the worry.

My most recent example has been my maternity leave timing. FMLA standards state that one gets 12 weeks (either consistent or intermittent) every 12 months either paid or unpaid. My company allows you to take disability pay for the first six weeks (60% of your normal salary) and then you can utilize any accrued sick time or vacation time for additional pay throughout the leave should you need to cover your salary. Prior to my son being born, my husband and I went back and forth on how we could cover finances during my leave and what the appropriate length of leave time would be for our family. We finally settled on 10 weeks leave as that was the accrued time that was available for financial coverage.

Well, this week marks the 10 week mark for me to return to work. However, about a week ago the anxiety started to set in again. I still feel so unprepared to return to work, as I'm not totally settled in to the schedules of three children plus trying to fit any other life into a normal day. After some investigation, it seems that I have more time accrued for coverage than originally perceived and I can now take my full 12 weeks of maternity leave!

Coincidence? I think that the Lord allowed this brief moment in time to again show me that He knows exactly what we need and will provide it at the exact moment. You see, nothing was different in the time that I had accrued, just the way that we had worked through how coverage would work, causing the decisions we originally made. At that time, thinking about 10 weeks of leave was sufficient for us, however, as the time grew near and anxiety set in, the Lord allowed the clarity of reality in what was available because that is what I needed at that exact moment.

The Lord is never late in His timing and rarely early. Everything He does is exactly on time, providing us the appropriate harvest when the conditions are just right. When I can remember this, life seems so much sweeter as He unfolds the blessings on my life both daily and annually.

Today's blessing: knowing that I now have a few more weeks with my babies before returning to the office! Thank you, Lord!