God and Time -Part 1

There is an old saying among attorneys that time is our only commodity. That is true with all of us. We are granted time that we can give away or invest. Each person is allotted a block of time but interestingly enough does not know how large that block is.

We trade blocks of time and effort for education, training and money.

All time is not the same. For instance, there are times and moments that are precious to us forever. I still remember when I first fell in love with my wife. I can remember how happy I was just be in her presence. I did not have to say anything or do anything. The time was precious and memorable.

I can remember the day each of my children were born. There are many days that have faded from memory-but not those days.

Many of us remember September 11 and what we were doing and where we were on that fateful days.

So certain pieces of time take precedence over others. Some are particularly good times; some are bad times. Both are more memorable than the ordinary or mundane times.

Time is a gift. When a busy person grants us time we are thankful for their gift of time. We know their time is precious because there is so little of it.

Here is an exerpt from the blog of my daughter, the ImpQueen:

My day today looks like every other working mom's day:

Kid one to school. Breakfast for kid two about now, while I blog and get myself ready for work. Ignore chest ouchiness. Take meds. Kid two to school.Bank, video store.

Client one (cervical quadriplegic)

Client two (sweet normal grieving widow whose sister died.. take extra time to be there, as she is housebound. Play with her bird.) Check voice mail from office, answer and alter day as needed.

Client three (Alzheimer's patient who doesn't know it. Recent amputee. Sweet lady, be gentle. Reorganize all her meds. Again. Smile. She doesn't know we do this every week. Play with her dog. Hugs all around.)

Client four, in hospital, don't go. Put her on list for tomorrow. Client five, terminal, caring for her grandchildren. LOTS of meds. Lots of support. Might be easier if client wasn't screaming at God most of the time, but it's understandable. Love her anyway. Try not to kick adult son who does nothing.)

Clients six and seven if time, both not my clients - I'm covering for a maternity leave. I'm happy to do it. Babies are sweet.

Pick up Princess at school at 2.40, take her to hair appointment, pick up choir dress, go by post office and send eBay package out, pick up Imp Prince at home by 3.45. Do something for dinner. Check on my grandmother. Check on Arnie's dad. Check voice mail from work. College conference for Princess at 4.30ish. Princess has dress rehearsal tonight. Spelling words with Prince. Laundry. Work out, if time. Hope Princess has a ride home from dress rehearsal.Say hi to Philip. Pop his back, listen to his day, toss him the remote control so he can watch TV and unwind.Take a minute to rest, take meds. brain spinning like a top. Find time to listen to the Kyrie, the Credo, the Sanctus before bed. Maybe the Agnus Dei, since I listened to Godsmack and The Killers in the car all day.

So there it is. The day of a busy working mom.

Is God somehow involved in time. The answer is yes. He is above time in one respect. When Moses asked God what his name was God responded: “I am.” In Hebrew it was meant “I am, I was, I will be.”

I do not understand much about time. However, I do not believe God is necessarily bounded by time but somehow is above time. We however see time on a linear basis.

Nor do I believe that all time is the same. Some time may be more precious than other time. An hour in prayer may be worth more somehow than an hour eating a Big Mac at McDonalds. An hour spend in worship may be more precious than an hour spent watching a sports event on television.

All I know is that time is a gift. And I am thankful that people have given me their time for indeed their time is a precious part of their life. I hope that I will give away my time as my heart and God leads.

As I grow older, time seems more precious to me. Perhaps this is because I have traded large portions of it for education and for working and not given enough of it for other very, very precious things. Will I sleep through sunrises, and work through sunsets. I don’t know. Perhaps not as much.

Did I spend as much time with friends and family as I should have. Unfortunately, I did not.

God has put us all in the position that we must live our lives one day at a time. That is why he taught us to pray: “Give us this day our daily bread.” My prayer is that I should use the time God has given me for this day with wisdom. Perhaps try not to take too much time from others who are scarce with their time, and at the same time give the gift of my time to others as they have need.

It is a tough task as my daughter’s blog indicates. However, look at the gifts that she was able to give during her day.