Thursday, July 18, 2013

It's about Time!

Everyone is busy, busy, busy these days. We are all pressed for time.  Life is full of schedules, dates, appointments, and clocks to punch.  We use phrases like, "time is money", or "my time is valuable".  Ever stop to wonder what is time? Time is not something you can touch or grab. Who came up with this idea?  What is the purpose of time?

Archaeologists point to artifacts found about 6,000 years ago when man first started making lunar calendars to try to predict the planting seasons.  This would be roughly the time man converted from hunter-gathers to farmers.  Knowing the seasons is a big deal to farmers but we now know that the moon is on a 28 day cycle and after a few years changes would have to be made to the calendar.  The next advancement was the "sundial".  Most believe it showed up in Egypt in 1500 BC, but that is debatable.  While the sundial helped in dividing the day it to had to be constantly adjusted for the different lengths of the day over the course of the year.  Obviously Summer days are longer than Winter days.  Then came those thoughtful Romans.  The Julian Calendar (Julius Caesar) was created in roughly 45 BC.  This calendar was much more accurate.  It did loose 11 minutes a year.  While some would jump on that 11 minute issue, remember this is 1500 years before Columbus sailed to disprove a "flat world".  I'm thinking the Romans and Egyptians knew the world was round, but that's just my opinion.  After Columbus came the modern calendar called the Gregorian Calendar.  Then shortly after that the world was divided into the 24 zones and modern time keeping began.


So the concept of time was born out of need to keep up with the growing seasons, but it has now spiraled into an all consuming thing.  Time not only measures the seasons, it measures the speed at which we get to work, the speed we work at, the amount we work, the amount of sleep we get, the amount of time spent with children, the speed we enter into responsibilities, and on and on.  The biggest thing it measures is the amount of time we have here on this Earth. "Life is but a vapor" is one of my favorite bible quotes.  It shows how quickly our time here on Earth can pass and how little impact can be left if we don't make the most of it.  One of my pet peeves is when a parent says that some extracurricular activity for their child isn't worth the time.  When I know they spend entire weekends in front of the squawk box while their kid is in the other room wearing out their thumbs on some video game.  Don't get me wrong, I know some people work multiple jobs.  Paying the bills does take precedent in this modern world.  If you think your time here on Earth is short, think how short 18 years is when you bring a kid into the world.  I assure you it will pass more quickly than you can imagine.  The time to start spending time with your kids is today.  Don't wait until they are out of diapers, or old enough to play T-ball, or entering teenage land.  Start now, if not sooner.  We all have to juggle time in our lives.  The question is, when your time has run out who will remember you?  Who will carry on your hopes, dreams, and experiences?


Take the time to impart all those things in to your loved ones.  And not just your kids.  Take the time to catch up with old friends.  Write a note to someone whom you appreciate.  Call an old classmate.  Yes, all these things take time, but when your time is up what are you leaving behind? Do you think a 401k or a home is what you will be remembered for?  You will only be remembered for the precious commodity of time that you spent on others.  Your sons and daughters will value the times spent with you more than your Earthly possessions.  So take some time to invest some time into the people in your life.  Who knows, you just might cheat time and live on in other's memories.


http://harvestbaptistbath.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/time.jpg
http://harvestbaptistbath.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/time.jpg

2 comments:

  1. Well said! It's so easy to forget to invest time in others these days, everyone is in such a hurry. And let's not forget the rat race for cash. Thanks for the reminder. Doing a minimum of one nice thing per day will keep your soul honest!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Excellent point. A good turn everyday would make for a better life.

      Delete