Time in a Bottle

141/365

About a year and a half ago, when my mom and I were in full-on wedding preparation mode, we were getting along better than ever before. We were agreeing on everything and using our skills of cooperation to wade through some areas of friction. All in all, things were going quite smoothly. Then, the time came to begin receiving rsvp cards. Cooperation = Over.

Being a planner by nature, an expecting a certain degree of accountability from my family and friends, I was adamant in what I wanted. There was a “reply by” date on the invitation; I expected it to be followed. I was not ready to wait weeks and weeks for irresponsible people to get around to responding. If I hadn’t heard from you by a certain time…you were out. It goes without saying that my mom had a difference of opinion.

Now that the wedding is over, and the whole rsvp business is behind me, I have to wonder: Why was I so concerned? What it my planner personality just acting in overdrive? Was it my need to have everything under my control? Or, and most likely, was it my intrinsic need to save my time?

What makes us guard our time so protectively? What makes us feel as though there will never be enough of it? Most of us, on a daily basis, have the capability to balance work, family, friends and church with little to no effort at all. Heck, we even make time for resting.

Nevertheless, time is scarce and we know it. For our culture, as a whole, it would not be far-fetched to label it our most valuable commodity. It is always running out and we will never be given more than God intends.

When our time is demanded from us, how do we respond? As Christians, we understand that God gets the first fruits of our paychecks; does He get the first fruits of our time and effort as well? Think about what we are saying if He does not. Perhaps, in our humanity, we overestimate the importance of our own agendas. Of all the sacrifices that we are asked to make, the sacrifice of time is the most challenging.

I suppose we should ask ourselves: Is our schedule all that sacred?