Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Time by Pastor Mike


“The unexamined life is not worth living.” Heard that one? That’s from Socrates. Pretty deep. I think Ferris Bueller of 80’s movie fame says the same thing in a different way. Perhaps you recall his words, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”


I think they’re both right. How many times have I heard or said things like: “I can’t believe it’s June already” or “What happened to the spring?” or “Where did all the time go?”  One of the joys of this time of year is going to open houses of students graduating from High School. I enjoy the pictures that remind us of where each student has been. And the conversations which often revolve around where each student is going. I remember when many of these seniors where toddlers!  Where has all the time gone?

Ferris was right. Life does move fast. We tend to fill it with a whole bunch of things. Most of these things are good things. Enjoyable things. Valuable things. I imagine that Jesus’ life moved pretty fast too. During his ministry years, he attracted a crowd wherever he went. How did Jesus handle it? He was quite intentional to set regular time aside to be alone, to pray, to reflect. I’m grateful for Cheryl’s blog on journaling. I’ve not journaled for several years, but see the value of it. A time to pause. A time to take inventory. A time to examine life. A time to look around once in a while.

I’m finding a valuable practice in my morning connection time with God that has helped me “stop and look around” and to “examine life”. I’ve been asking myself two questions that guide my reflection. The first: when did I feel closest to God yesterday? The second: when did I feel furthest from God yesterday?   I find the answers to these questions to reveal a lot about myself and my relationship with God. They help me to interpret and examine the day past. And prompt me to prioritize and reframe the day ahead. I find myself more aware of God’s activity and presence in each moment.

I’ve not found a way to add more time to each day. But I have found that greater awareness and intentionality does add more layers to the time that I’m given. 

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