Timing of Creation

First of all -- Today's post is Post #1500. It doesn't really mean anything monumental, but it is a very nice round number. Fifteen hundred. Thank you for reading.

Now onto today's post....

I attended a Sunday school teachers' training session a few weeks ago. The presenter started the session by having us introduce ourselves and then tell each other something about our watch -- a story, its origin, thoughts about it.

When my turn came, I told where my watch had come from -- a gift from Steve -- and then I told about watches and Emmaus. Those who attend an Emmaus walk are encouraged to leave their watches behind. Freedom from one's watch is a wonderful gift, and it's something that I didn't realize until I took it off for a walk. You don't need it on a walk -- you are led throughout the schedule, so you have no need to worry. Giving up your watch, though, means giving up control of your schedule. It's the control issue that bothers some of us -- not the watch itself.

But, anyway, I told the group that now I where a watch in order to be on time, but not to time God. We have certain expectations of God, timing-wise. It's good to be reminded that we are not in control, and to let God be God.

I was reading Genesis 1 this morning for my Disciple class. As I wrote down some notes about it, I was reminded of the controversy concerning the counting of days in the Creation story. Counting days leads to counting years, and counting decades, so that there are some who try to date the Creation story with a year. Is that timing God?

What occurred to me is that the normal ways we account for time did not exist in the Creation story. What did exist was God. His creation marked the beginnings and ends of the days. To try to box God into certain 24 hour periods might be a mistake -- instead, I think we should be letting God be God, and letting his work in the world mark our days, and our years, and our decades.

Don't worry about the counting of the days -- count on God, instead.