My dad used to say time goes so fast it seems as if every other day is Thursday. When time goes that quickly, the seconds, minutes and hours of life can run together and get lost. James was right—life is like a mist that appears for a little while then vanishes (James 4:14).
“Teach us to number our days aright,” Moses asked God, “that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12, NIV). How do we do this? Author Mark Buchanan suggests we “work out where time and eternity meet. Pay attention to how God is afoot in the mystery of each moment, in its mad rush or maddening plod. He is present in both. But too often, we are so time-obsessed that we take no time to really notice” (The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring the Sabbath, Word, 2005).
Do you pay attention to how God is afoot in the mystery of each moment? Or do you let them blur together in a mad rush to get everything done?
I may have mentioned a time or two I’m a big Star Trek fan. I enjoyed all the movies (even the odd-numbered ones). In Insurrection, a Ba’ku woman named Anij teaches Captain Jean-Luc Picard how to capture a single moment. She slows time, allowing him to see the beating wings of a hummingbird as it hovers over a flower. When her life is in danger, he practices this technique and is able to keep her alive until help arrives.
While we can’t slow time (I wish), we can pause to notice the mystery of God in our moments. Pick a moment and focus on where you are, what you’re doing, who you’re with and how God is present. Take a mental snapshot and praise God for what you see. In a way, time will slow down and you’ll be fully in the moment.
I remember doing this one day when my kids and I were at a park. It was a beautiful day – perfect weather, everyone was happy and healthy. We were with a good friend and my kids were playing and laughing. As I watched them, I realized this was one of those perfect moments in time that would never come again. I took a mental snapshot, noting every detail of the moment. I can still picture it in my mind, many years later.
Why is this important, you may be wondering? We are told in 1 Peter 1:24 (NLT): “People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades.” We aren’t here long, and we look forward to a better future with the Lord. But while we’re here we may as well enjoy it. The Westminster Shorter Catechism states: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.”
Let yourself slow down a little and enjoy God, giving him glory and thanks as you go through your day. He is present in the meeting of time and eternity as we live, move and have our being in him.