Time

This past week I was in Grand Rapids, MI as a member of the Van Lunen Fellows Program. Friday morning we were assigned a time of reflection on our conversations and readings from the past week. One of the readings that came to my mind was an article by Dorothy Bass entitled, "Learning to Count Our Days." The article convicted me in many areas of my life. Below I share some of the article with each of you. Enjoy!

"What is the measure of my days, weeks, and years, those I have had so far and those remaining? All of us wonder, naturally, about the quantity of this measure. More important, however, is its quality? Are we living lives that are good, in some large sense? Lives that contribute to the well-being of other people, close at hand and far away, and to our own well-being? Lives that are attuned to the good creation and to the active presence of God?"

In the last three years I have gotten caught up in stuff and not thought this way. What about you? The author has more for us.

"Understanding time as God's gift will make us more, rather than less, dissatisfied with the way in which economic, social, and cultural forces structure time, thereby impelling us to become partners with others in changing unjust structures of time. In The Time Bind, Arlie Russell Hochschild calls for a "time movement," an organized effort to develop economic structures that permit both adults and children to move more humanely within time"

And more...

"Only a dwelling place of the breadth and depth of God can finally count and hold all the days, weeks, and years of humankind. And it is only within this dwelling place that we mortals can ever count our days wisely. To count is to attend to each piece one by one, knowing its true value and acknowledging that the sum will not be infinite. Counting, in this sense, helps us know the true value of a day and attend to the gifts each one bears - just what the practices that guide us in receiving time as a gift of God would have us do."

What is your view of time? My view has changed especially when it comes to my family. Blessings!