The Gift of Time

Googling the word “time” led to an 8400 word article. The writer invested a lot of time researching and writing, beginning with a definition:

“Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future.”

It seemed like a wordy definition to tell us our lives consist of continuous minutes that don’t stop, and we look back, live in the present, and look to a future.

Bringing it to daily living and normal conversation, we measure time to sequence events, compare our status and health from one date to another, limit activity, look at the intervals between milestones, and essentially observe and live in change.

Do you relate to time as especially prominent when you look in the mirror, have difficulty performing tasks once done with ease, or elect to not do certain activities- because we can’t or they aren’t safe? Friends and I noted time, and with it, aging, when we attended Grandparents’ Day at my grandson’s school. I noted it at a class reunion -was I really a member of that class? And when I look through photo albums comparing my children and grandchildren then and now (as well as looking at myself), there is no mistake-time has passed.

Time is necessary. We have timelines and schedules for projects and classes, and set a timer for cooking and baking. Sometimes we give children a time limit to play games on electronics or getting chores done. We work and are rewarded with a paycheck for our hours. We use time researching the fastest route for a trip and cut off travel hours so we “save” time. Sometimes we spend hours being idle and waste it, never to regain those hours again.

Time has been and is measured in different ways from early sundials, sand flowing in an hourglasses, to analog and digital clocks. A study of these devices is called horology (who knew?) Calendars have a long history and tell us days, months, and years. We read books and take courses on time management and try to use our time efficiently.

God created time for us (Genesis 1). In Genesis 8:22, God told Noah He would preserve the seasons after the flood for our benefit. In Ecclesiastes 3, Solomon reminds us. “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heaven”. There are cycles of time and an appropriate season or time for every activity.

 

Time is a gift. That is, until what seems like long days lead to boredom and restlessness. Or, time doesn’t pass fast enough for us when we’re  waiting for an answer to a text or an announcement that our delayed plane will depart. Most of us don’t like waiting, especially when we’re waiting for an answer to prayer. Waiting is also a gift. We learn in waiting, develop patience, and can position ourselves to listen and hear from God. Sometimes in waiting we are spared from a disastrous outcome. In failing to wait, we may miss God’s best.”

Aside from the awareness of aging at Grandparents’ Day, my thoughts about time were piqued when I read 1 Samuel 13-14. Share on X

King Saul was supposed to wait for the prophet Samuel but he was afraid when Samuel was delayed. His impatience grew and he took matters into his own hands, offering a burnt offering to God. His mistakes: he let the emotion of fear, not trust, rule and he went ahead of God’s plan. He did what was not his to do. He was not authorized to offer sacrifices. That was reserved for priests and in this case, Samuel. Saul’s impatience, driven by fear, was costly. Later in the chapter, he again fails to wait for God’s answer and makes a rash decision. You can read about his foolish decision here. (Hint: What leader tells his troops not to eat before they go to battle?)

In Bible Recap , (Day 101) Tara-Leigh Cobble reminds us that God is sovereign over time and the times of our life.  (Psalm 31:15) He uses people and circumstances in time to move His plan forward in His timing.

God owns the gift of time and He offers it to us.

Clocks, calendars and photo albums. Waiting and impatience. What are your thoughts about time and waiting?  Do you see them as gifts or a nuisance? Enough or not enough?

 

 

 

 

 

 

On another note, thinking about time, widows know grief changes with time and seasons. Summer brings with it the absence of the aroma of your husband’s grilling on your deck or spontaneously going out for ice cream; or being isolated inside because of the heat index.  Those are just a few of the hidden losses of grief. Consider hope for yourself or a friend.