Time and Faith
How do you experience time? Is time your friend or is it an enemy? Do you mourn the passing of time or are you impatient for a coming future? Or do you sit calmly in the midst of the flow of time, enjoying each moment as it comes and letting it pass without regret?
I am out of the office this week attending a conference. The conference is on the East Coast and, as many of you know, traveling east by plane takes at least an entire day. I left Santa Barbara at 6:00 in the morning and finally arrived in Baltimore at 8:00 pm. I don’t mind though. Whenever I travel I begin to experience time differently than I do when I am home.
When I am traveling, time turns into a gentle companion, rather than the taskmaster of my daily life. “This flight will take an hour and a half,” I think to myself as the plane lifts into the air. There is nothing I can do to make it faster or slower. All I can do is settle in and enjoy the hour and a half. The plane lands and before the doors can open some of the more anxious passengers jump up to stand in line in the aisle. I sit and wait, thinking “there is nothing that will make this line move faster or slower.” Next I spent five hours in the Denver Airport waiting for my next flight. It was the most relaxing five hours I have had in a while. I worked a little and I enjoyed the eclipse with a group of friendly strangers on the airport concourse. I ate lunch. Again, there was nothing I could do to make the time go by faster. And when I accept the passing of time I am free to enjoy it.
By contrast, when I am home I feel the pressure to save time, so I am always trying to beat the clock. I steer meetings, or projects, or tasks through time, always conscious of the tick, tick, tick of the minute hand. This scenario turns time into my opponent as well as a harsh judge of all my efforts.
When I describe these two scenarios it’s pretty clear which I prefer. The difference has a lot to do with faith. When I am traveling, there is a greater purpose to the day—getting to my destination. It is a purpose that I am confident will be accomplished. As a result, when I travel I can relax and become more aware of who and what is around me. When I am home, I lose the sense of a greater purpose. At home it is easier to fall into the habit of just dealing with task after task without as much awareness or thought about the greater purpose. It is easier to get lost in racing against the clock, which is a contest that cannot be won.
Faith is like traveling to Baltimore. Faith offers a greater purpose and gives confidence that the purpose will be accomplished. When we live with faith, we can go about our responsibilities and tasks with equanimity and enjoy each other’s company along the way. Faith gives the ability to listen better, to care more, to find meaning, and to be transformed by our experiences for the better—all because we can be more present. Most importantly, when we live within our faith, time becomes a good friend and a gentle companion that leads us into a future where God has already arrived.
See you this Sunday!
Pastor Jen
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