Jimbo's Jots

News is coming! It may be good news. It may be bad news. We don’t know sometimes. And then we’re given the news! The next five minutes are critical!

Here’s what happens in that five minutes. Your brain will begin to process the information given. Your brain kicks into high gear pulling up past experiences trying to figure out how you need to respond to the news given. The brain also sends a signal out to other parts of the body to respond. You may start to sweat a little bit. Your heart rate increases, your breathing changes.

I remember like it was yesterday. We got a call from our daughter and son-in-law that they wanted to come over for a visit. Momma was not feeling well with a bad headache, but we never turn our kids down for a visit. It was between Christmas and New Years. The kids came in and told us to sit down. They handed us a gift with a hand written card saying we were going to be grandparents. The next five minutes were filled with hugs and joy. Then the stories of pregnancy and birth stories began to flow out as we shared the joy of a new baby coming in the next year.

Fast forward to six months, at an ultrasound for my daughter, it was revealed that the baby’s heart had not quite developed normally. So a further ultrasound and a meeting with a pediatric cardiologist was set up. I remember anticipating the update call. I was away at camp for the week. The call finally came from my wife. She told me the diagnosis. The next five minutes were spent wrapping my head around all that she said. It was still pretty new to her as well. There were lots of questions. A prayer or two was said verbally and non-verbally.

Five minutes doesn’t seem like a long time. But try this experiment with me . . . set a timer for minutes. Now, sit in quiet for those five minutes. Go ahead! I’ll wait!

Now you’re back! How did it go? What did you think about? Were there thoughts of peace or were the five minutes filled with anxious thoughts, like “When is this going to end?” or “This is too long!”

In five minutes, God can speak peace into your life. He can calm your anxious spirit. Take five minutes with God daily and see what He does in you!

Be blessed in your five minutes! Be a blessing to others that may need their five minutes!