24 Hours

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you.” I Peter 5:6

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11

Recently, my 10-year old granddaughter, Sophie and I were enjoying breakfast together. Out of the blue, Sophie asked me the following question:

“What if, when we were born, we grew really fast and only lived for 24 hours? Wouldn’t that be weird? What would you do with those 24 hours, Grandma?”Hmmm! Pretty deep question from this young girl. In turn, I asked her the same question. She said that was a pretty tough question to answer so quickly. I agreed.

But she did tell me what I’d probably be doing: sitting with the all the birds on the electrical lines along Interstate 35, with my headphones on listening to music! No doubt that thought came because we’ve frequently chatted about how perfectly aligned and spaced the birds are. We often tease that they’re just sitting there without a care in the world watching all the traffic go by! I remember telling Sophie that it would be neat to be able to join the birds. Just once. So yes, I guess that wouldn’t be a bad thing to do with my 24 hours.

Our conversation, while interesting and amusing did cause me to think a little deeper about what I’d do if only given 24-hours. After all, none of us are promised our next breath. I’m thinking we could all pause to reflect on that same question. Would we waste those precious 24-hours, sit and watch the traffic go by or would we use that time for a purpose greater than ourselves? I would definitely hope to do the latter.

Our Heavenly Father is the creator of not only the world in which we live, but He is the also creator of time. We need time. He doesn’t. Our time is in His hands. He owns it. But it’s ours to do with as we please. We get to choose.

Sometimes, I get so caught up in the busyness of life and before I know it, time has gotten away from me. I’m hurried and stressed and actually less productive than if I intentionally take a slower pace. It’s interesting, but when I begin my day spending time with God, it goes smoother and seems as though I get more accomplished throughout the day. I am then reminded that He is the timekeeper of our lives and He will help us to accomplish what is needed if we will put Him first and allow it.

The next time you feel rushed and hurried, take a few minutes and stop what you are doing. Be still and focus on the peace God wants to give you. Offer a prayer of thanks for your many blessings. Listen to your favorite Christian music and take a deep breath of thankfulness for this intimate relationship you have with the God of the universe. Yes, He is mighty big and powerful. But, just think—He is small enough to live within your heart. What a beautiful thing it is to know that we have all we need through Him. Even time.

Prayer: Dear God, thank you for creating the world and for being the manager of our time. You are not bound by anything, much less time. Rather, it was created for us. Help us not to waste a moment. to be still and experience Your sweet peace. I pray these things, giving You all the praise, honor, and glory. In Jesus name. Amen.