by Christine G. Law

"To everything - turn, turn, turn 
There is a season - turn, turn, turn 
And a time for every purpose under heaven"
     ~ The Byrds, 1965

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

It seems that the seasons come much faster as I get older. It used to be that spring took a hundred years to melt the frost of Old Man Winter's coat. Now, as I rush about my day-to-day routine, I am constantly wondering where all the time has gone? It is inevitable that at the end of each day there remains at least a dozen unaccomplished tasks on my list of things to do. There is never enough time for all of the must do's in my life.

When I was a child, I used to love to erect tall buildings with those colorful wooden blocks that my Papaw insisted were meant for boys only. I'd spend hours meticulously adding one block at a time so as to color code each section perfectly. I could usually time my brother's entrance right down to that final moment when I set the last block into place. He'd run screaming into the room and pounce on my masterpiece with the gleeful malice of timeless sibling rivalry. He'd laugh. I'd cry. And, the cycle would begin all over again.

As an adult, I often find myself attempting to color code all of the obligations in my life as I carefully categorized those wooden blocks so long ago. I have an obsessive need to have everything around me in organized bundles -- but life doesn't always work out that way.

We live in an increasingly busy world. Everything is fast-paced and on-the-go. Even our food is pre-packaged and pre-cooked. Modern technology tells us when to rise, when to eat, when to sleep, and in what order to do each. Our bustling capitalistic society no longer recognizes the worth of leisure. Instead of quality, our lives are increasingly packaged into quantitative parcels and measured by how much more of ourselves we can give. It no longer matters whether our time is valuable, only that we squeeze out more of it in menial obligations.

I have often noticed that it is those times when I am out of sync with my surroundings that I miss out on my relationship with God the most. It begins slowly with a missed prayer on a rushed morning or a hastily blessed child at bedtime when I am at my most exhausted. Before long, the entire family has lost track of the Lord's presence in our home.

The reality of modern society sneaks in to do its damage when we are at our most vulnerable. It begins with a skipped breakfast and the promise to pick something up on the way. A forgotten lunch is remedied with a grabbed snack from the vending machine.
A broken curfew excused by an empty gas tank.

Satan has many devices for tempting the preoccupied soul. We need only let our guard down the tiniest bit and the king of chaos reigns supreme. When we lose sight of God, we lose sight of our priorities as well. When our resolve falters, insecurities slip in to wreck havoc on our neat and orderly lives. Before we realize it, we are in a rat race with no apparent finish line in sight.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta once said "God does not ask us to be successful, only that we be faithful." If we turn our eyes, our minds, and our hearts back to God, success will come. It might not come when we expect it or desire it. Rather, God will provide what he thinks we need at each turning point of our lives. We must remember that our time is not our own. We are given time here on earth as part of a bigger picture. Our journey begins and ends with our Lord as the timekeeper.

It is difficult to remember that God is ever present when we are frazzled and feeling rushed to accomplish all of our set daily goals. Letting go and letting God tends to become a last resort rather than regular habit. In those times, we need to take a deep breath and refocus. We can keep God at the helm of our lives if we but take tiny measures to make it happen.

If God is in control of our clocks, then we need not "make time" for the Lord. With God as our timekeeper, He is ever present for us to turn to. He is but a breath away to help us through another hectic day. Father Time opens our eyes and closes them. What we do with the time allotted us in between depends on who is in control of our clocks.

Do you feel rushed through each day? Have you asked for God's help?
How can you change your patterns/habits to make God a bigger part of your life?
Is God your timekeeper? Have you given him control over your life?
Remove your watch and allow Him the next few minutes of your time. Pray for his guidance and control.