Time

Time is an integral part of our everyday lives. So much so that it is nearly impossible to imagine a world without time. You can sort of start to wrap your head around the idea of eternity, but then you start to think about things not having any sort of sequence and the brain starts going in circles and you eventually giving up before your head explodes. Yet how often do we really think about time. Our perception of time definitely colors our view of the world, but do we really spend much time pondering the idea of time.

We all know how time is measured and most of us a have a pretty good grasp of our schedules, but what about the actual entity time. We think of it as constant, but we feel its elastic tendencies regularly. Seconds can feel like an eternity as we watch imminent disaster, while happy hours seem to flit away before we fully enjoy them.

I think the majority of people are very aware of the quantity of time (seconds, minutes, hours), but rarely the quality of time. We pack our schedules to the brim with more and more appointments and errands. We know the exact amount of time it takes to get to and from work, the store, etc. and plan our lives around how much we can squeeze into each second that isn't otherwise occupied. And if there is anything that interrupts that schedule, we immediately start planning alternatives to get us to our next to-do to minimize any inconvenience.

But I fear that we are scheduling away our very souls. Life is not lived in a day planner. It is lived in the moments that make us stop and think. Those transcendant moments that take our eyes off the here and now and thrust us into the eternal, some times against our bidding, are vital to our being. They are wake up calls that remind us that this is not all there is to life. These are the times when we feel God's presence most keenly.

What would life be like if, every now and then, we threw the calendar out the window? How would it change our perspective if we stopped being so consumed with deadlines, and took note of life going on around us? It would be nice to be able to just press the pause button and stop everything so we can enjoy those moments, but perhaps the loss of time is part of the joy. Perhaps when we stop to enjoy life, we are trusting the Maker of Time to redeem the time others might think we are wasting. I hope this time has been rewarding for you.