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What Time is it?

Time seems to be a commodity that creates a great deal of stress in people's lives. Wherever you go--to work, to school, to the store, even on vacation--you can see people anxiously glancing at their watches. Even before they have learned to read the face of a clock, young children frequently ask, "What time is it?" If we put this question in perspective it can teach us a spiritual lesson.

There are two kinds of "time" that I would like to bring to your attention. The first is the one that causes stress. The Greek word "chronos" (from which we get our word "chronological") means time as a progression of events. When we talk about past, present, and future we are talking about "chronos."

Time as "chronos" can be stressful because we cannot control it. Yes, we try to manage "chronos" with our schedules and pocket calendars. However, we often find ourselves wishing for a few extra hours in the day. We can alleviate some of our stress over "chronos" by realizing the following:

1. The past cannot be changed. Joys from past days can be remembered and cherished. Tragedies in the past can become a hindrance to our lives, or we can use them as stepping stones for growth. Sin in the past must be repented of.

2. The future cannot be predicted. As carefully as we may plan, we are not able to see what the outcome of our lives will be in terms of day to day details. When Jesus said, "It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority," He was talking about "chronos"...we cannot know all that the future holds.

3. The present is the only time we really have. We cannot undo the past, and we cannot know the future until it indeed becomes the present. The present...the "now"..is the only time we really have.

Praise the Lord that the present, the "now" of our daily existence, is God's time! 2 Corinthians 6:2 says, "See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation." Time in this sense is not "chronos" but "kairos"--the right time. So instead of depending so heavily on our watches and pocket calendars, let's make a commitment to depend on God. We are living in the midst of "kairos," the time that God has given us for salvation. As we present our lives to Him in the "now," moment by moment, through Jesus Christ, we can depend on God to redeem the past and look after our future.