I was recently in Atlanta taking part in a workshop related to my Doctor of Ministry (DMin) degree. It was an important time for me to plan out my final project, which I hope to complete sometime in 2025. I’m a bit embarrassed to admit this, but I began my DMin studies way back in 2017! Not to make excuses, but a few things have happened in my life, and in the world over the past seven years, that have slowed my progress (having a second child, being called to a new church, relocating my family, and a world-wide pandemic). As a result, what was originally supposed to take three to four years to complete will now take closer to eight years.
Reflecting on my life’s journey since 2017 has made me realize, once again, how so much of life is timing. My plans for completing my DMin degree changed dramatically due to the normal (and abnormal) circumstances that make up life. Some of these circumstances were well beyond my control (like the COVID-19 outbreak), while other circumstances were within my control, but forced me to pick and choose how to prioritize my life (like giving more time and attention to my family when my second son was born in 2018).
Planning, prioritizing, and working towards our goals is always a balance. I believe God wants us to “press on towards the goal” that he has set before us (as Paul writes in Philippians 3:14), while at the same time remembering that our ways are not always God’s ways (Isaiah 55:8), and that it is God who sets the timing of all things (Ecclesiastes 3:1).
I’m still learning, as I suspect we all are, how to fully embrace and navigate this balance between “pressing on” with my plans, while also “letting go” of my need to control how and when things get done. It seems that with prayer, advice from people we trust, and plenty of practice, this process of balancing gets a bit easier (though never truly easy).
May God grant all of us wisdom and patience in the ongoing balancing act that is life!
By Pastor Matthew Hardin
Rev. Matthew Hardin is the Pastor of Pacific Palisades Presbyterian Church (www.palipres.org) where services are held each Sunday morning at 10 a.m. (both in-person and online).
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