About Time

 

 

Whether we like it or not, time is how we as humans mark things.

When it comes to time I have a love-hate relationship with it.  At times, I care not about it. At other times it guides my every move. Nevertheless, regardless of my opinion, time remains ever present.

Someday, I would like to have a large clock in my house, much like the one pictured above.  Perhaps, I could hang it in the living room, sort of like a decoration and an incentive all rolled into one, set five minutes early in an effort to motivate myself to be on time.

This past father’s day I was without a watch, so my wife got me one. However, this watch was far different than any I had ever had before and only once I got it out of the package was that apparent. It had a wraparound band designed like a ladies’ watch that did not fit my wrist and it had gold hands on a gold background that made it difficult to read. 

My wife suggested the watch might not be suitable and to just take it back.  But, after a month I cut the band and put some holes in it so it would fit correctly.  Initially it made my wrist break out in a rash, but a band aid on the back corrected that misfortune and I have worn it ever since. It is nice to have the time again, even if it requires a little effort to read.   In the long run the reason I kept the watch was I loved the person who gave it to me and decided to just make it work.

Many years ago there was a day that time was the enemy.  During this moment I was sitting in a locker room in the Hershey Hospital while I waited to say goodbye to someone irreplaceable in my life.  Strangely, time seemed to be all that mattered and at the same time didn’t matter at all.  The clock looming right in front of me was one similar to the school clocks I remember when I was a child.  It had a white face, black hands and I believe a red second hand. 

Whether it was ticking or not, I can’t remember, but I do recall watching the clock hoping it would just stay frozen.  To make time stand still would be unfair, because living is moving forward, like any good clock does and time stands still for no one. With that clock looming in front of me something was telling me to make the most of a no-win situation.  So, when the time came, with all the dignity I could muster, I bid my loved one goodbye for now.

As mentioned before, time remains ever present, which reminds me of the timepiece I can still vividly recall from my childhood in my Pop Pop’s kitchen.  Can’t remember if it was a mantle clock or a grandfather clock, but when the house was quiet it was the only noise you could hear.  It gave me great perspective to listen to time pass.  Tick tock, tick tock, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. 

All these references to time remind me that God works on his own time and not mine.  With that said I would love to see God’s timepiece someday. Although at times it may appear God is hard to read, like the watch I currently wear, sometimes you must tilt your head and be observant to what God wants us to do with our allotted time. No matter our predicament, as long as there is time on the clock, it  means that God has more for us to do.

Time doesn’t change anything; it’s what we do during the time we are given that makes all the difference.

Swavel