Time

Over the last 4-5 weeks I’ve noticed the theme of time. This isn’t the first “time” the Lord has highlighted the passage of time for me. Back in January 2018, I wrote another blog along this theme, Time & Promises

Time isn’t always the easiest concept to understand. Scripture often talks about different seasons of time and patience. Ecclesiastes even has a whole passage dedicated to this idea.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Over the last few weeks, I’ve noticed the Lord reshaping my views on the passage of time.

1. I’m a problem-solver. I like promptly finding solutions that help my students. I dislike leaving my students in limbo, so I usually put all my energy toward resolutions. Three times in the last month I have encountered situations with residential students that have taken longer to resolve than I wanted; these have included roommate problems and maintenance issues. One situation even took me two weeks to get worked out.

What I realized is that all three resolved in unexpected ways. If I had rushed to solve the problems, they would have had different outcomes. Would they each have been resolved in an okay way? Yes. Would they have been resolved as well as they were? No.

2. The other time situation involved my dad, who has Parkinson’s. This last year has been rough for him. It’s been hard to see him struggle, and as his body gives out, I feel like I’m losing precious time. Feeling the weight of losing time with him, I’ve been focusing on treasuring all the good moments.

About a month ago, one of his doctors mentioned a new treatment he thought might be helpful. My parents prayed about it and did some research and decided to give it a try. My dad is now over halfway through the six weeks of treatment and we’ve notice definite improvements. The greatest one, for me, occurred last night. I am spending the weekend at my parents for my sister’s birthday celebration. My dad came down the hall to say goodnight to my sister and me, and then he started singing us a song. My dad has always been musically bent, but I can’t remember the last time I’ve heard my dad sing! What a sweet moment!

Both of these situations involve time, and I’ve realized that I want to control time because I fear losing time. I don’t want to spend it wastefully and I think I know best how to corral it. But the Lord has been reminding me that His timing is perfect. Instead of rushing to solve things, I’m learning to ask the Lord to set my time by His schedule.

He has made everything beautiful in it’s time. He has set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Ecclesiastes 3:11

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