Did you start singing the song when you read the title? I did, and I continue to as I write.

There are a few different words for time in the Bible. The two main ones in the Greek New Testament are chronos and kairos. I enjoyed going down this rabbit hole of a word study a little bit, maybe because I’m a #wordnerd and maybe because I’m a writer.

Chronos is a certain period of time. It could be long or short. It could be used for a meeting that could’ve been an email, and it could be used for the length of a dentist appointment. It could be used for reserving seats at the movie theatre or for making sure you start your Netflix Watch Party on time.

Kairos is considered THE time. THE time. The right time. God’s perfect timing.

Have you ever seen the I Love Lucy episode when Lucy goes into labor? It’s a classic episode with a few classic scenes. (She was the first openly pregnant woman on national television, by the way. We’ve come a long way…) When Ricky, Fred, and Ethel are practicing for when Lucy has to get to the hospital, Ricky comes into the living room and boldly, calmly, solidly declares: The time has come. His fist is in the air and he is ready to be a daddy. Ethel serenely “phones” the hospital to let them know Lucy is on her way, and Fred gently leads “Lucy” (just the jacket while they practice) out the front door. If you’ve ever had a kid, it’s hilarious because of how absurd it is. (Watch it here.)

When Lucy actually hits her kairos for having Little Ricky, grown-up Ricky, Ethel, and Fred go into such a tizzy! They all go for the phone, then they all go for the suitcase, then they all leave the apartment without Lucy. It is the polar opposite of what they practiced just minutes earlier. It is pure mayhem, and it is hilarious.

The kairos in scripture is God’s appointed time for something. His time for Jesus’ crucifixion. His time for His kingdom to be near. His time to fulfill an important promise. Essentially: His time.

His time.

We practice accepting kairos when we pray for His timing, when we present our requests to God (as we are encouraged to do all throughout scripture), when we trust God to provide, when we rest in the waiting, when we channel our nervous energy into something that brings God glory… those are all ways of practicing our acceptance of kairos, His time.

Okay, so we do that. And then… what we think the kairos should be for any given situation comes and goes and we act like Ricky, Ethel & Fred - we get all in a tizzy, forget our appointed tasks, and lose our minds for a hot minute.

The job should’ve come already. It is time for something to work out in my favor.
The acceptance letter should’ve arrived in the mail by now. It is time to know my future.
The all-clear from the blood test should have arrived by now. It is time to know my future.
The relationship hanging in the balance needs to be resolved, like, yesterday. It is time to either dive in or move on.
The sale of the home should’ve gone through already. It is time for that house to be off our taxes.
My business should’ve grown more than this by now. It is time for this to be more than a hobby-hustle.
This old injury shouldn’t keep cropping up; it is time to get back to running/biking/whatever-ing.
I’m young, I’m healthy, I’m doing it all right; it is time for me to pregnant and for us to grow our family.
I’m young, I’m healthy, I’m doing it all right; it is time for me to find a soulmate and get married and have that life.

So many opportunities to practice acceptance of kairos. So many chances to truly say, in the deepest part of your heart:
Your will; not mine.
Your time; not mine.
Your story; not mine.
Your kingdom; not mine.

Let me remind us that not one thing God has promised has failed (Joshua 23:14). There is not one thing God has not written that he’s had to erase. He’s never had to, nor will he ever have to, go back and edit the story He’s created for you, for me, for your neighbor, for anything or anyone.

As we await God’s timing, we stay the course. We stay on track with whatever He has asked us to do in that appointed time. We don’t rush ahead and try to rush the kairos. We do now, we live now, we give our best now. Then when it’s time to move up and out, we gather what we’ve done, lived, and given and move up and out as God says to do. We lean on, rely on, live by His time, His kairos.

Trevor Hudson says to do this: each time we check the time today, finish this sentence— “In my life right now, it is God’s time for…”

That sentence knocked the wind out of me. I’m a chronic time-checker, always on to the next task. Maybe if I was more concerned with the kairos and not always the chronos, I’d feel a little less pressure as I went about my days. I don’t know. But I’m definitely going to try that simple sentence-finishing exercise over the next couple days. Try it with me & let me know how it goes (hello@elisapreston.com).

As you wait on kairos today, in whatever situation you’re thinking about and wading through, may you find rest and peace at the foot of the cross. May you approach the throne of God with boldness (Hebrews 4:16) and know that His kairos is the perfect solution to anything that draws you away from His grace.

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Email me & tell me about you — how do you typically handle the waiting for God’s kairos?

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