Time

 In Featured, Pastor Paul's Blog

By Pastor Paul Gauche

Today’s Word: ‘Time’ as in… time flies, but the “time in between times” is never wasted time.

The conversation in my small group is exploring what it means to be “fully present” in any given moment. We know that we thrive when we are attentive to what each moment has to teach, but we also struggle with knowing how to be that present, that fully present.

The question arises: How much time do we waste in between places?” How much time is wasted between our workplace and the grocery store, between the school and the bank, between here, there, and back home again? How much time do we waste in between all those places?

I wrestle with this while waiting at stop lights. I’m approaching the intersection. The traffic light turns from green to yellow. In that split-second before either accelerating or braking I realize there isn’t enough time to safely get through the intersection. So, I hit the brakes, I curse the light, and come to a stop. Time also comes to a stop. In the time between the red and green lights, I wait, the car idles, I’m fuming. Fingers tapping on the steering wheel betray a deeper restlessness. The light turns green and off I go, still fuming. Wasted time.

It’s Lent. It’s the season for slowing down, for coming to a full stop. It’s time to reconsider what it means to be in the moment between all our moments. It’s time to ask if that time really isn’t wasted at all. What if the time in between time has a purpose? What if the time in between all that you do today provides the opportunity to notice what is really going on: people walking, runners running, flags blowing in the breeze, red cardinals heckling squirrels at the feeder?

Time flies. But what if the time in between all that we do today allows us to really see what we would have missed if we had raced through the intersection? What if that time in between time is really the gift of grace in the present moment unfolding right in front of us?

#100days50words

Paul Gauche is the Pastor of Life Transitions at Prince of Peace. His posts are part of his #100days50words project, where be blogs about a different word each day. You can follow his project on Instagram (@pgauche), or on his blog, Thriving Rhythms.

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