By the time you read this, we will already be a month through this new year.
Where does the time go? It really does seem to go by ever more quickly, as
each year passes.
For children who have returned to school after the Christmas and New Year break, next Christmas will seem an age away. When I started secondary school, I couldn’t imagine getting to the end of school at 18. I worked out that I would be 35 at the turn of the century, but that seemed impossibly far away. So what makes time seem to pass quickly? After all, each week is made up of seven days and each day has 24 hours, whatever our age or stage in life.
Responsibilities play a part: there are things we need to do at certain times, and any deadline always makes us aware of time ticking away as we approach it. We accrue responsibilities as we grow older and take on more senior positions at work, or have a family to look after. At church, we take on roles that seem to grow in complexity as we are affected by greater bureaucracy.
We cannot suddenly drop those responsibilities, but however pressing those responsibilities are, we can ensure we make time for ourselves. If we wear ourselves out doing things for others, it means that those others will have to manage without us. So our responsibilities are not only towards others, but also towards ourselves, to care for ourselves so that we are longer able to care for others. No-one can go on giving without time to relax and refresh themselves. Even Jesus took time out away from distractions, time with God to remind himself of what he was about, when others would have pulled him away from his path.
For children who have returned to school after the Christmas and New Year break, next Christmas will seem an age away. When I started secondary school, I couldn’t imagine getting to the end of school at 18. I worked out that I would be 35 at the turn of the century, but that seemed impossibly far away. So what makes time seem to pass quickly? After all, each week is made up of seven days and each day has 24 hours, whatever our age or stage in life.
Responsibilities play a part: there are things we need to do at certain times, and any deadline always makes us aware of time ticking away as we approach it. We accrue responsibilities as we grow older and take on more senior positions at work, or have a family to look after. At church, we take on roles that seem to grow in complexity as we are affected by greater bureaucracy.
We cannot suddenly drop those responsibilities, but however pressing those responsibilities are, we can ensure we make time for ourselves. If we wear ourselves out doing things for others, it means that those others will have to manage without us. So our responsibilities are not only towards others, but also towards ourselves, to care for ourselves so that we are longer able to care for others. No-one can go on giving without time to relax and refresh themselves. Even Jesus took time out away from distractions, time with God to remind himself of what he was about, when others would have pulled him away from his path.
This year, I would encourage you to make time to be with God. Ten minutes
on a daily basis when we can simply be in God’s presence. A quiet day or
longer retreat (there are many opportunities close by) spent focused on
things of faith and rediscovering who we are. A thought-provoking book, and
a fellowship group to discuss it with, to help us pause and take stock. Why
not ask a friend to support you as you try it out?
If we want others to come to faith, we must be energised and built up by that faith, so that we will want to share it. So let’s take time out to be refreshed.
It is never wasted time.
With love Christine
If we want others to come to faith, we must be energised and built up by that faith, so that we will want to share it. So let’s take time out to be refreshed.
It is never wasted time.
With love Christine
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