Washington Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

By Doug Bing, Washington Conference president

Have you ever watched a sloth? Boring isn’t it. Sorry for those that love this slow-moving animal. I have met people who just think sloths are wonderful creatures but I am not so sure. Once in a zoo I stood by the enclosure where two sloths were housed because I wanted to see if they ever even moved. That turned into a waste of time because they just didn’t move! I guess they have a different way of thinking and speed to them means something totally different than what the rest of us thinks about.

At times I want things to move along. I sit in meetings that run long or sit in traffic and I just want it to be finished or to get moving. I sometimes get bored with a book that I am reading and just want to get to the end to see what happens. One thing that I would really like to happen as well is for Jesus to come.

Recently I have attended memorial services for several people and have been visiting others in the hospital whose time is short in this world. I see those types of things and I just wonder why doesn’t Jesus just come. He sees all this happening and I am sure that none of it is in His original plan. It seems like the second coming is just coming at a sloth’s pace.

Each time I start being impatient, I think of what 2 Peter 3:9 says.

Praise God that His speed is not our speed. What may seem slow to us merely means that we don’t know the pace that God is going and we don’t always understand nor do we always need to understand. Praise God that He is patient with us and with the world in that there is plenty of time for people to come to a knowledge of God. Praise God that He loves this world and wants all to have the opportunity to repent and love Him.

I am still not a fan of sloths. But I am a fan of God and letting His plan fully be implemented in my life and the lives of those in this world. Let us all be responsive to God’s call in our lives to give ourselves fully to Him and to be used by Him.