Time

Hey there,

Permit me to welcome you specially to 2022. So glad we made it together, isn’t God just worthy of it all? What a time to be alive. So pumped!

I learnt something new about TIME today, and while I am still trying to grasp it all, I have decided to share it with y’all especially now that resolutions are flying everywhere in the air.

The devotional we read in my home this morning was titled “When Time Flies or Stands Still”. The author opened our eyes to the concept of time the way he thinks God sees it and it was fascinating to me. He said God sees time as “Completion & Development” while we tend to look at time as either our friend or enemy. Time is majorly perceived as the enemy – both for those enjoying their lives and those who aren’t, simply because it is either time is too fast or too slow. The author wrote and I quote “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 development and development is.”

While we were discussing this topic, my husband’s explanation blew my mind. He said “While we see time as a point of action, God sees time as an event. An event that has a beginning, a process and an end.” For instance marriage; while we see marriage as dating, engagement, wedding day, parenting e.t.c. God sees marriage as a lifetime event where there is a beginning, process (series of small events) and a completion (death). He sees the inbetweens as a developmental process where there will be many detours and obstacles but never an end. (Ps: not saying anyone should stay in an abusive marriage or what not, that is not the message being passed across here). Same goes for seeing time in terms of money; if we aren’t patient with the process, we will either not get any fruit at all or some meager one.

When we begin to see time as this, we aren’t quick to give up and give in when things aren’t going as we plan. We will learn to go through seasons with a mindset of growth, development and completion. We stop leaving projects halfway just because…, the spirit of persistence and resilience is birthed in us. We don’t give up on marriage because we are bored or we found someone better. We do not complain about our jobs because it has become boring or the money is suddenly not enough. We do not begin to hate our bodies because it is changing and we do not like where it is at at the moment…, no! Rather, we see everything in phases, while we may not be enjoying it now, we keep our hopes up, work hard and smart, do all we need to do and pray for strength to go through the season without being burned by the fire. Before you know it, the season has come and gone and we are better for it.

This year, consider Time differently. Do not see time as just something you read from the watch, clock, sunrise and sunset or change in weather & seasons. Rather, choose to see time as an event encapsulating many mini events within a period. Then you will begin to have an appreciation for the phase of life you are at. This knowledge about time gave me a new appreciation for how patient God is with us. This is the only reason God doesn’t knock us off flat on our faces when we mess up, He already knows we will fall short due to the fact that we are learning and growing. He is very patient with us. This concept also teaches us patience with people and things (and no, not complacency or mediocrity); we fight for those we love and the things we love, we just don’t give up on them because they aren’t matching up with our expectations.

I pray that you will redeem the time in this year. You will not see time in terms of chores and to-do lists but as a gift from God with opportunities embedded therein for you to fulfil his purpose here on earth. I pray that you will incline your ear and heart to His Word so they become your guiding light. I pray that the eyes of your heart will be enlightened to knowing what His purpose for you is. Oh, that it will be well with you and your family. God bless and keep you in His restful arms everyday of this year. Be blessed!

With all my love,

XXX.