Deadline Time

I’ve been working out of our church office recently and on my morning walk, I’ve noticed a lot more students around than I usually see. And they’re not walking back from nights out, they’re fully dressed and carrying piles of books: it must be approaching deadline time.

Deadlines can be all consuming, time suddenly speeds up, your focus narrows, all your attention is concentrated on to the task in hand. Get the report finished, wrap up the project, pray that the printers are not too busy so you can get it produced and bound in time for the hand-in. It’s during times like this that I find it especially hard to get perspective. Concentration and single-mindedness seen essential to get the task done, and to an extent that is true, but there is a bigger picture.

I had friends at uni who, in the run up to deadlines and exams, got so stressed that they made themselves physically ill. I think the problem is, that in our focus, we can sometimes end up putting all our trust in the fact that, if we get the result we need, everything will be OK. And if we don’t get the result we need, well, that doesn’t bear thinking about, does it?

I’ve got some big deadlines and hand-ins of my own today. I’m writing a report that could well influence the next chapter of my life. This morning, I read Psalm 20: 7 - “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” (NIV) In our service driven economy, we don’t have much use for chariots or horses - our economic power is better represented in what we know and how well educated we are - but the principle is the same. It was like a breath of fresh air. My trust is in God. Whether this report lands as I hope it will, or not. Whether you get the results you think you need or not, put you trust in God. “May the LORD answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you. May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion.” Psalm 20:1-2.