Tuesday, December 22, 2009

How Time Flies


I probably should be writing something totally Christmasy this week, but as I signed in and noticed that it has been just over a month since my last post, I thought of how fast time goes by.


It's not a new idea. I realize that I didn't discover this phenomenon of fleeting time. But I began to wonder if, perhaps, there is a spiritual implication to the fact that time seems to speed up as the years go on.


Is it because we are so busy that we don't take time to enjoy the gifts God gives us every day? Is it a side effect of aging, as we get older, 12 months becomes minuscule in relation to our age?


Or, could it be, maybe, just a random thought here, that God allows us to see time as fleeting so that we will feel a sense of urgency to be about our Father's business? I was talking to a businessman the other day. He does not know the Lord and his perspective on the month of December was much different than mine. "This month is just dragging on and on," he said.


I thought he must have been kidding. I was trying to figure out how Christmas week had reached us so quickly. Then I thought of Advent, the time of waiting. I love the tradition of Advent, but I have never really felt like I was waiting, I already have Christ. Thankfully, I don't have to wait for his birth, or for his sacrifice or the glorious day of His resurrection. I am my beloved's and He is mine. For those of us who are in Christ, the wait is over.


But for those who are still in darkness the wait is long. Like driving to a new destination, getting there seems to take forever because you don't really know what to look for. Those without Christ don't even know what they are waiting for, but they do know the longing in their lives. That longing and feeling of the unknown can make time stand still for them.


Yes, for those of us in Christ the wait is over, but the work has just begun.


In all of our busyness, are we lifting Jesus higher? As we make our gift lists, grocery list and honey-do lists, are we being Christlike in our behavior and treatment of others? My grammy used to say that some people could "make me lose my religion". It was a cliche', and she was kidding, but it happens every day. How patient are we in long lines of Christmas Shoppers? How often do people see Jesus in us as we speed through our busy day?


We are about to celebrate the Light of the World. Are we allowing that light to shine through us?


Let's do more this week than talk about the Savior's birth. Let's shine His light for all to see.


"For unto us a son is born, for unto us a child is given, and the government shall be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6


Have a blessed week!