I keep seeing social media posts tagged, “Time is a Thief!” Frankly, this irks me. A lot. Time, a thief? I have noticed that usually this phrase is accompanied by pictures of growing children, or loved ones grown old. But, I ask myself, how does this make time a thief? We can’t stop time, but why would we want to anyway? Do we really want things to stay the same, forever?
It’s true that time brings changes. Change can mean loss, but it can also means gains. As the children grow and the adults grow older, so do the number of memories, the number of interactions, the number of options for the future.
Yes, chubby baby cheeks are cute and kissable, and toddler belly laughs bring a smile when nothing else can. But that feeling of your child reaching to hug you to bring you comfort. . . that’s a beautiful thing, too. Conversations that go deeper than “I want my sandwich cut into triangles” are a gift. Getting to know the amazing person that your child is becoming cannot happen without the passage of time.
Neither can you look at an older loved one with deeper understanding of their actions, or sighs, or point of view, until you have lived longer. You can understand more of the depth of their love and their sacrifices, when you have loved and sacrificed as well. And you cannot reach this point, except to travel through time, taking hours, days, weeks, months, years and decades as they come. Through time we grow to maturity, grow our relationships, and our stock of memories.
There is an old saying that “time heals all wounds”, which is not strictly accurate; but the passage of time does give us opportunities to seek healing through God, whether this is physical, spiritual, emotional or mental healing. God designed our bodies to gradually heal, given the right circumstances; however, He is truly the healer. Nevertheless, we must participate in this healing. We have to seek it, to learn new methods of living or of dealing with sickness or pain. To be truly healed is also a gift, one that opens up the future, releases us from bonds of pain and grief, one that enables us to be encouragers and ministers to others whom we encounter that are in need of healing.
Time gives opportunity for individual growth and new experiences, to study and learn, to create and enjoy. What do you really want to learn to do? What experiences do you really want to try? Time is the means of reaching your goals. We need to use it wisely, but time spent in in learning or new experiences is a gift, also. Our lives become richer physically and mentally when we have things to think about, to talk about and to pursue. But we don’t gain these without taking time to try .
Time is a gift from God and it is a gift that keeps on giving when we don’t squander it. That’s the actual point of loss. Time doesn’t steal from us, but we often waste time itself, losing the opportunities presented to us each day to enjoy the gifts offered as well as losing the opportunity to invest in our greatest gift of all. . . abundant life through Christ.
Living a well-rounded life means that we don’t focus on the losses we experience due to changing circumstances. A well-rounded life is lived through time, enjoying the gifts of each day and each season of life while making sure that we don’t waste the opportunities granted by our loving God, preserving the beautiful memories and making more each and every day.
Time is a gift-giver!
Teach us to number our days that we may present to you a heart of wisdom.
Psalm 90:12 NASB