HELP! I ran out of time and I’m not finished. Any idea of where it went?

       

Have you recently said any of these ‘timeless’ words:

“I don’t have time … I could use a little more time … time is running out …

how much time will it take? …crunch time… you’re wasting my time …

time is up … living on borrowed time … trying to make up for lost time …

in the nick of time (whew!) … hardly have time to breathe … time’s a-wastin’ …”

What have we done with all the time the supposed ‘time-saving’ inventions have given us. Things like having to boil tea water and now zapping it in the microwave; or modern washing machines and dryers that drastically cut the old time of washing, rinsing, ‘clothesline-ing’ and retrieving. Not to mention fabrics that require no ironing and still look good.

And our smart phone! Sure it saves us time, but not without first taking some of our time. As with other techno improvements in our lives, first we spent time researching it, learning to use it, accessorizing it, upgrading it, protecting it and starting all over again when we dropped it in the toilet!

Let’s be honest. Most of us have no idea where all of that time went that we have assumed would give us hours of freedom every day.

Sometimes the only place we escape the phrases listed above is in Maui! There are some places where ‘island time’ does seem to slow our world down and what’s chasing us can’t figure out where we are!

But there are some other phrases that describe what we may be looking for. I like this list so much more!

“right on time … in the right place at the right time … time to catch our breath …

all in good time … ahead of time … had a nice time”

We would be wise to memorize these phrases!

But there’s another phrase from the Bible that is key here. “In the fullness of time” is used to describe the exact time when God’s purpose and plan comes together and is ready for revealing. This concept helps me slow down and realize that if God’s not involved, all my hustling and bustling probably won’t accomplish much.

This week, trade in the societal mad dash of attempting to lasso your lost time and take this advice from Jesus (who never hurried or missed an assignment): “Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.” Matthew 11:29 MSG