Are You Ready?

On November 12 of 1995, astronaut Chris Hadley strapped himself into the seat of the space shuttle Atlantis and prepared to lift off on STS-74.

I heard an interview with him, and he talked about that moment.

He said, it's that moment where you realize that everything that you have been working for and thinking about and praying about and everything comes down to this moment.

He said, I thought it's time, it's time.

I've been waiting for this, I've been working at it, I've been training for it, it's time.

I wonder if you've ever had an it's time kind of moment.

Like if you've had children, you hold a baby in your arms for the first time and you think, oh man, I've been thinking about this and praying about it and we've been talking about it and been thinking about what it's like to parent and now, oh gosh, I've actually got to do it.

It's time.

I remember when I got my appointment, my first appointment as a senior pastor.

And I thought, you know, I've been to seminary.

I've been training.

I was an associate pastor.

I was a youth director.

And all during that time, I was thinking, well, when I become a senior pastor, I'm going to dot, dot, dot.

And I even had a little folder that says what I'm going to do when.

And I would put it in there like once I got summoned to the senior pastor's office.

When I become a senior pastor, I'm not going to summon people to my office.

I'm going to go to their office and talk to them.

Right? I mean, all of these things I'm getting ready for.

And then you get that appointment and you think, okay, it's time.

I guess I'm going to have to do it.

Right, it's one thing to plan for it and train for it, but it's another thing to actually do it.

Well, today's scripture passage is about an it's time moment.