How long will it take to finish
this paper?
Writing a research paper once
took days, even weeks. After coming up with a topic, I visited at least one
library to see if enough resources were available to write on the subject. That
meant looking in the card catalog and then using the Dewey Decimal System to
locate the books. Then, if enough books existed, I began.
Limits existed on how many
books I could check out, so I checked out as many as allowed and as many as I
thought I could use in the allotted time. But of course, the entire book didn’t
address my topic, so I searched the index of the book to find what I wanted.
Then, I took notes on a piece of paper—in my own words, of course.
When it appeared I had enough
information from the required resources, which I noted on a separate sheet of
paper (after researching how to enter a source), I returned the books. Now came
the real work: handwriting it legibly or typing it. I chose typing, which didn’t
become an option until I entered the ninth grade.
To type a paper, I had to
handwrite it first so everything would appear exactly where I wanted it in the
paper. I could not move large or even little chunks of material around. Double
trouble. Hopefully, I would not make a big mistake while typing. If I did, I
had to retype the entire page.
What it once took me weeks to
complete, students can now complete in a few short class periods without ever
leaving their desks. With computers, a world of information waits at their
fingertips. Magazines, posts, books—all online. And to boot, Word enters the
sources correctly. They don’t have to learn much at all. Their “How long?”
differs from mine.
Habakkuk asked a “how long” of
a different type. God’s people did a poor job of obeying. Sinful acts reigned
on every hand. Habakkuk wanted to know how long God planned to let this go on
without intervening. God informed the prophet He had things under control.
I’m tempted to ask God the same
question. Things in the world look pretty seedy. Sin on every hand. And it
doesn’t appear things are getting any better. The good news is that God works
behind the scenes. He has a plan in mind and will execute it in His good time.
Good will win out in the end. The Bible tells us so.
Our job is to be patient and trust God’s wisdom. He knows what He’s doing. Beyond that, we must shine the light of an excellent example so others can see what a believer should look like. And our good deeds will make this world a better place in the process.
When you’re tempted to ask,
“How long?” ask “What can I do” instead.
Prayer: Father, show us what we
can do to stem the tide of evil.
Tweetable: Do you wonder how long God will let evil continue?
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