Completing Project MeSample

When Time Flies or Stands Still

Subjective time is measured not by what time is but how it feels. It is not about the actual science of time but how it affects us. And therein lies the problem: time affects us. For those who want something to happen that is not happening, there is something wrong with the clock or God or the whole world. It does not seem to be working in their favor. For the person who does not want something to end, they feel as though the clock or God or the whole world is pushing them too quickly. We tend to look at time as either our friend or our enemy. (Most often it’s perceived as our enemy.) In all of this, God is often the scapegoat or culprit when, in reality, he is not impacted by our sense of immediacy or desire to stretch experiences out. That is not God’s primary concern. Our completion and development is. 

I have often wondered how God perceives our fickleness when it comes to time. We are capricious at best. For him, time serves a different purpose. God seems to be more concerned about the completion of things rather than the immediacy or suspension of them. Perhaps that is why the Bible tells us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). We should always be in a spirit of prayer since God does not give up when we do. He is not finished when we think he is. In fact, sometimes, he is just getting started when we think the need for prayer is over. Peter reminds us that God is not slow in keeping his promises because he has an eternal perspective (2 Peter 3:9). In fact, time simply serves his greater purposes of salvation. That is why, to God, a day is like a thousand years and the reverse is true (2 Peter 3:8). 

What do we need to possess to help us better understand how God uses time? Patience, perspective, and persistence are important if we are to ever understand how God works with and in time. If we can leverage these, we will be more likely to allow God to use time for our benefit.