Is Time my Enemy?

Have you ever wished you could have just one more hour in the day? One more hour to finish school work. One more hour and I could exercise. One more hour to talk with my friend before she has to leave. We live in a culture of instant gratification. We don’t like to wait.

There are other times when we all long that time would stand still. Someone very special to me always said, “Time is the enemy.” It seemed like there was never enough time when we were together. My lifestyle is one of hurry. It seems like I am always on the run. My grandmother always joked that “Go” was my middle name.

Recently, I’ve begun to wonder if this is healthy. One morning when we had plenty of time, I heard myself urging my daughter to hurry…we had all the time in the world. I realized that I didn’t know how to slow down.

Jesus commands us in John 15 to abide in Him. Abide. To abide means to remain or to stay. What would my life look like if I was still? “Be still and know that I am God.” There is great wisdom in being still.

When I am still, I can listen. When I am still, I often feel peace. In the stillness, I see things I often miss.

I remember reading in Blue Denim and Lace, “When I give you my time, I give you my life, for time is life.” Time isn’t money. Its life. J.R.R. Tolkien said it well when he said, “All we have to decide is what to decide to do with the time that is given us.” Ann Voskamp writes in One Thousand Gifts, “I cannot think of a single advantage I’ve ever gained from being in a hurry. But a thousand broken and missed things, tens of thousands, lie in the wake of all the rushing…” I completely agree.

So, I am resolved to slow down and “smell the roses.” I want to enjoy the sound of the whippoorwill’s song outside my window. I long to watch the kaleidoscope of leaves fall in autumn and feel the coolness of winter’s breath on my cheek. I don’t want to miss a single moment! I want to live in the here and now without regret! In order to do so, I must make time my friend and my enemy no more!

Thankful for: Unbridled joy of a child, the unconditional love and fanfare of a dog for its master, and crickets chirping on a humid, summer night