Over and over I keep reading about time passing in an ambiguous way. "Some time passed..." "After a long time..." "Some time later..." "In a little while..."
For Sadako, a little girl who died of the "atom bomb disease" in Japan, 1955, her diagnosis was noted, and a death was noted, but much of the middle of the story pronounces, "time passing" in the folding of paper cranes. Time just passed. For Elijah, living alone in the wilderness being fed by ravens and drinking from a river, "some time passed" before his story picks up again with a miraculous bread supply. We don't know exactly how long he lived alone with those big black birds, but a "long time later" he saw God rain down fire from Heaven. An unknown amount of time passed between these big events. For Jesus' disciples, "In a little while," sounded strange-- a puzzling phrase that they couldn't wrap their minds around. How much time was this? Jesus repeated it, and they kept asking, "'What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.'” (John 16:18).
Days without great inspiration play with our minds. Day-in, day-out, doing tasks that don't feel post worthy (even if you don't post)--we tend to wonder, what else? Wonder can lead to wandering. Many of our obvious commitments have been given to other, more productive, modes of operation: the dishwasher, the Roomba, the personal shopper, the drive-up deliverer, the barista, the dry cleaner...the list of personal conveniences is unending in our western world. Thus, free-time creates wondering or wandering.
We don't write, post, or read about monotony, but these are what make a person get from the low points to the high ones or vice versa. Where we seek inspiration, this captivates our attention. Yet, without recognizing the means to which we arrive at inspiration, we never will.
"We aren’t meant to be shiny, illuminated versions of humanity, floating above everyone else. We are meant to lead common, ordinary lives that exhibit the marvel of the grace of God. Our willingness to work at whatever task God gives us is how we add to our faith. We must work diligently, no matter how lowly or insignificant the task appears in the eyes of the world. Drudgery is the great test of character. The most significant obstacle to our spiritual development is that we look for big, important things to do, and will not do the thing that lies close at hand because we think it’s beneath us." (Oswald Chambers Utmost for His Highest, June 15)
Birth and death--these are God's great domains. But how we manage the middle, this is our life. You may agree that we can't manipulate time, but like most truths, we aren't able to translate our rational thought with our faithful living. Even if you are busily letting time pass so you can't have to think about it, you may be missing the whole point in your blurry busyness.
As time passes, you can live out the middle, reflecting a significance that's equally as important as the start and finish if your life has an eternal purpose. In the middle we can grow closer to the One who is eternal, the one in charge of time. If you seek fearless faith in everyday moments, then you will live committed to do the thing that lies closest to you, regardless of how your time is passing.
We enjoyed some extreme temperature changes this week as "some time passed". We arrived at the Bozeman Hot Springs with snow falling, and it was almost 100 degrees when we left! We waded in mineral springs in the 50s and those above 100 too. Hot saunas, hot steam, and polar plunges invigorated our bodies. It was a nice shock to our system after living in a cabin for a few days. Lots of God winks this week kept us going as time passed. Bird hatchings, Meals on Wheels volunteering, game rooms, and ice cream all aided in our transition back to tight quarters. God always provides especially when our time is in His hands.
~ Passing time Carefully and Carelessly
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