Time . . . specifically my calendar and my clock, is what’s keeping me from abiding in Christ and experiencing God in a deeper way. When I was sick and immobile, reading the Bible, praying and listening to Him were easier to do. I needed Him badly, and since I couldn’t drive or see people, I didn’t have many options. But now that I’m better, I’m back on the go. Doing what I want to do. What I love to do.
I’ve read all kinds of stuff about what people want. Fame, money, power . . . all that. But I believe more than anything else, people want autonomy. From Adam and Eve to Adam Sandler, people have always wanted to be like God . . . to call their own shots, to do what they want to do when they want to do it, have whatever and whomever they want without limitation, live independently . . . go and come as we please. If you need proof, just ask an old man to hand over his car keys!
The reason it’s so hard to follow Jesus is because we have to give up our autonomy to consult with Him before we act. We don’t take the time (there’s that word again) to include God in the decisions we’re making. It’s not as much rebellion as it is habit. If we want more of God . . . if we want to go deeper in our relationship with Him, we have to slow down and include Him in what we do. That’s what He wants and that’s what will make our lives rich . . . but it takes time.
Until we free ourselves from the calendar and the clock . . . until we stop and ask Him, “Lord, what would you have me do?” we’ll keep missing out on the joy He has for us.
2 Peter 3:8 . . .
“. . . with the Lord, one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like one day.”
C.S. Lewis . . .
“The Resurrection is as yesterday. Time is an issue with us because we were made for eternity, not this temporal life. A fish is not surprised at being wet because that’s his natural environment. Time constantly surprises us because it’s not part of our natural, intended environment.”
You and I will be transformed by the renewing of our minds, not our calendars. And we won’t let God "renew our minds" if we don’t talk things over with Him . . . let Him press meaning into what’s going on in our lives . . . let Him lead us to the people He has for us to love and serve.
If you want to live a whole life . . . to enjoy the creatures and creation God put in front of us, we have to stop and smell the roses. But we also need to intentionally stop and hang out with the Gardener . . . the Gardener of our souls.
