Jun 29, 2007

Whose Time is It?

“Living is what we do with God’s time, what we do with God’s world.” – Rabbi Abraham Heschel.

We think of time as “ours” to do with what we want. Books are written on how to more efficiently use your time, how to make more time, and how to redeem the time. All these are based on the assumption that time is ours to use and change. We are deceived. Creation is the Lord’s and, likewise, so is the time given to us. If time were ours, then we would be in control of when it begins and ends. The Almighty One is the only One who knows these things. So, as I begin a new day today, You have reminded me that I must look to You to know how to spend your time. Think of an ambassador in a foreign country. His native country sets aside a segment of time (months, years) for the ambassador to accomplish the tasks given him. The ambassador is not free to do whatever he wants. Likewise, the time I am given each day is not mine to claim; I must look to the “Time Giver” for instructions and guidance. Does this sound like slavery? We are slaves, but our service to our Master will bring tremendous joy and freedom. Just one of many paradoxes in the Christian life!

Whose Time is It?

“Living is what we do with God’s time, what we do with God’s world.” – Rabbi Abraham Heschel.

We think of time as “ours” to do with what we want. Books are written on how to more efficiently use your time, how to make more time, and how to redeem the time. All these are based on the assumption that time is ours to use and change. We are deceived. Creation is the Lord’s and, likewise, so is the time given to us. If time were ours, then we would be in control of when it begins and ends. The Almighty One is the only One who knows these things. So, as I begin a new day today, You have reminded me that I must look to You to know how to spend your time. Think of an ambassador in a foreign country. His native country sets aside a segment of time (months, years) for the ambassador to accomplish the tasks given him. The ambassador is not free to do whatever he wants. Likewise, the time I am given each day is not mine to claim; I must look to the “Time Giver” for instructions and guidance. Does this sound like slavery? We are slaves, but our service to our Master will bring tremendous joy and freedom. Just one of many paradoxes in the Christian life!

The Nature of Paths

I had the good fortune of having a woods behind my house when I was growing up. One of the well worn pathways in it was one which led directly to my best friend's house on the other side. We spent many hours, especially during summer vacation, going back and forth on that path. Some afternoons, we would spend hours in the woods, pretending to be anything our imaginations could create. There were trees to climb, rocks to find, and flowers to pick.

Another pathway wound the entire length of the woods. This path was used during the summer by the kids on my street to walk to the school about a mile away. We would spend hours swinging, climbing the jungle jim, and just talking and laughing and running. Back then, parents didn't worry about the safety of their children - we rode bikes freely and stayed out until it was dark. Then, we spent the evenings chasing lightning bugs. They are not as easy to catch as you might think! Exhausted, we fell into bed.

My bed was fairly high off the floor and level with one of the windows in my bedroom. I remember falling asleep in the summer with the window open, watching the lightning bugs blink on and off, listening to the katydids' songs, and revelling in the smell of fresh mown grass. No one needed sleeping pills!

Today, the woods is gone - the victim of larger yards and more housing. I live in the suburbs with houses whose backyards are hidden by six foot fences. One has to actually get in a car to find the woods. There actually is a woods within walking distance of my house, but it takes a fairly long trek. Even there, I notice small pathways disappearing into the woods and wonder what human story is behind them.

Paths connect people and places. God asks us to walk a "narrow path". It connects us with Him and leads to life eternal. It is "narrow" because few choose to use it - there are things that you have to leave behind and, in a culture of materialism, we want to take everything with us. But once you make the decision to go into the woods and follow His path, you find that God will offer you so much more than you ever dreamed.

The Nature of Paths

I had the good fortune of having a woods behind my house when I was growing up. One of the well worn pathways in it was one which led directly to my best friend's house on the other side. We spent many hours, especially during summer vacation, going back and forth on that path. Some afternoons, we would spend hours in the woods, pretending to be anything our imaginations could create. There were trees to climb, rocks to find, and flowers to pick.

Another pathway wound the entire length of the woods. This path was used during the summer by the kids on my street to walk to the school about a mile away. We would spend hours swinging, climbing the jungle jim, and just talking and laughing and running. Back then, parents didn't worry about the safety of their children - we rode bikes freely and stayed out until it was dark. Then, we spent the evenings chasing lightning bugs. They are not as easy to catch as you might think! Exhausted, we fell into bed.

My bed was fairly high off the floor and level with one of the windows in my bedroom. I remember falling asleep in the summer with the window open, watching the lightning bugs blink on and off, listening to the katydids' songs, and revelling in the smell of fresh mown grass. No one needed sleeping pills!

Today, the woods is gone - the victim of larger yards and more housing. I live in the suburbs with houses whose backyards are hidden by six foot fences. One has to actually get in a car to find the woods. There actually is a woods within walking distance of my house, but it takes a fairly long trek. Even there, I notice small pathways disappearing into the woods and wonder what human story is behind them.

Paths connect people and places. God asks us to walk a "narrow path". It connects us with Him and leads to life eternal. It is "narrow" because few choose to use it - there are things that you have to leave behind and, in a culture of materialism, we want to take everything with us. But once you make the decision to go into the woods and follow His path, you find that God will offer you so much more than you ever dreamed.