Disobedient Time

Time slow down.

As another school year takes flight, the above phrase has accompanied countless social media posts made by parents desperate to hold on to what was a little longer.  I know, because I'm one of them.

But in case you haven't figured this out, time is disobedient, or rather immune to our wishes.  Second, minutes, hours, days, weeks, and years march forward—relentlessly.  And no matter how many mamas and daddies stand in front of the army of moments begging them to pause, the soldiers keep their eyes forward and just. keep. moving.

I used to associate time with tick tock, tick tock.  But that's a clock, a device man made to measure the elusiveness of  a concept impossible to capture.  

Time passes in silence.  

And if we dwell on what we cannot change, we'll miss the message time conveys. 

Time will not slow down, but we can.

In other words, don't scream at the rain in pursuit of stopping it.  You and I don't have that power.  However, play in it.  Dance in it.  Appreciate it.  Be thankful for it.  Here's a reminder I use to help me slow down:

S-Stillness allows me to reflect on all the goings on around me.  In the silence I can ask questions, be quiet and allow myself an opportunity to listen.  My ability to express sincere gratitude is greater as I march beside time and whisper thank you to the Maker, the commander of the army, for all the memories time permits.

L-Love big.  In a way that is selfless and not all about us.  That's hard, because our very nature demands we look inward, and protect ourselves, because if we risk loving big, we risk losing big.  And the temptation to shield ourselves from painful loss is real.  Don't fall into that trap.  So, how do we do it?  Begin by learning how to love God first.  Why?  Love leads to trust.  And trust is a teacher whose main objective is, while we do not see the span of eternity, God does.  Trust leads to hope and in hope we can soar on wings like eagles.  The eagle-eye view is a perspective changer, allowing us to glimpse the bigger picture, asking God for discernment, wisdom, and strength for what is to come.  He is faithful in the most gut-wrenching of times, and He will give us what we need.

O-Own what is ours.  As in, all our junk.  Don't waste time blaming others for what rests on our shoulders.  Making excuses is the equivalent of running on a treadmill donning a rucksack full of bricks.  We expend a lot of energy and time going nowhere, while all the world around us, those we love, are moving on.  And we are missing it.  

W-Write down what we don't want to forget.  Or record it, document it, whatever works.  But don't be passive as time moves on.  While we can't capture moments, we can capture memories.  

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