“For everything there is an appointed time.”  Ecclesiastes

“In the fullness of time, God sent his Son.”  Galatians 4

“Time is an illusion.”  Einstein

“How much time do you have?”

“What time is it?”

“Do you have the time?”

“Can you make time?”

Time.  It is an obsession.  We order our lives around time.  It used to be a watch or a clock or an alarm.  Now it is the digital display on our phone.

Time is our God.  Time is our idol.  We fill our days with appointments and trying to get things done on time.  In the work world it’s called a deadline.  What an appropriate term—For our enslavement to time is a killer.

What an illusion.  For God there is no such thing is time.  It is, as Einstein said, just an illusion.  For God, who is eternal and eternity itself, there is no past or future, but only the present. To experience the Presence of God it is necessary to be fully in the present.

Evidence of our separation from God is found in our addiction to time.  With the exception of a few years in early childhood, life is spent on a schedule, which ensures that we live somewhere in the future, but not in the present.

During my time spent in Papua New Guinea I would frequently go to special worship services.  The congregations would save up all of their important events—baptisms, confirmations and such—for one day.  The service would never start “on time”, and once it did would last for hours.  It drove me crazy.  Initially I would spend that time glancing frequently at my watch. Anxiously wondering when the service would end.  Finally, I got smart and removed the watch.  It made the services much more tolerable, and at times even enjoyable.  I still don’t wear a watch, by the way, for that very reason.

We “make time” for the things that are important to us.  Usually work and leisure are at the top of the list. What about time for The Timeless One?

As I’ve aged the reality that I have more time on earth behind me than in front of me has become a stark reality.  The limited time I have left this side of eternity has become more precious.  I’d like to believe I use it more wisely.  Maybe. Sometimes. I am certain that time spent doing—whatever that task might be—is far less important than time spent Being.  Being with God.  Being with loved ones.  Being quiet and still.  Being myself.  To a great extend time no longer controls me.  I’d like to believe that I’m getting my priorities straight.

What about you?  What does time mean to you?  What does time spent with God look like? 

The psalmist says “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom (Psalm 90).  What does that look like?  Truly, our days this side of eternity are numbered.  How might we live each of them fully?

“Five hundred, twenty five thousand, six hundred minutes
Five hundred, twenty five thousand moments so dear
Five hundred, twenty five thousand, six hundred minutes
How do you measure, measure a year?

In daylights, in sunsets
In midnights, in cups of coffee
In inches, in miles
in laughter, in strife

In five hundred, twenty five thousand, six hundred minutes
How do you measure a year in a life?

How about love?
How about love?
How about love?
Measuring love
Seasons of love.”  Seasons of Love, from the musical “Rent”