This is the clock on the wall in my office. It hangs above my desk and I check it frequently throughout the day. It starts at the beginning of the day. I look at the clock to see what time I arrive at work; check what time my appointments for the day begin and how long they will last. The clock tells me when it’s time for a Dr. Pepper break (we call it Code Red) and how much longer until lunch time. And all of that takes place before 10:00am. Imagine how many times I look at the clock by the time 5:00pm rolls around.
It never fails, though, I get to the end of the day and think, “If only I had more time!”, but there’s not any left. I need to get home for dinner time, homework time, family time, bath time, and bed time. My head hits the pillow and I often find myself thinking about my day, how wisely I spent my time, how I wasted time, and what impact my use of time will have on the following day.
So by now some of you are saying to yourself, “This guy is psychotic and obsessive!” But some of you know exactly what I’m talking about. You’re saying to yourself, “That’s so me.” or, “You think that’s bad, you ought to see how Iobsess over the clock!”
“Time to go.” “Time is running out.” “What time is it?” “I wish I had more time.” We use these phrases daily. Time is such a valuable commodity. It’s been said that the most valuable thing we have is our time, even more valuable than money. So why wouldn’t we want to manage it wisely?
I like to be on time, I’m a bit freakish about it. Actually, I not only like to be on time, but I like to show up 15 minutes early for stuff. My wife is so patient with me. I remember the first argument we ever got into, it was over the issue of time. I was early, she was late, and somewhere in the middle my over-achieving nature tried to make her feel inferior. Anal people can really miss the point sometimes.
Throughout history there have been so many poems, films, paintings, songs, and other forms of art depicting time. I really like the 2002 release of Coldplay’s song “Clocks.” Chris Martin, the lead singer, is a lyrical genius. These words cause me to examine the issue of time in my own life:
“Confusion that never stops, The closing walls and the ticking clocks, Gonna come back and take you home, I could not stop, that you now know, Singing come out upon my seas, Cursed missed opportunities, Am I part of the cure, Or am I part of the disease”
Am I part of the cure or part of the disease? Does my obsession with time really make me more efficient or less efficient? I like to “do”. But sometimes in all the “doing”, I miss the opportunity to just “be”. People who are doers get so wrapped up in task mode that they often miss some of life’s greatest moments.
There’s a story in scripture that speaks to this issue. It’s about two women, Martha and Mary, who invited Jesus to their home for dinner. Martha was the over-achieving clock-watcher; she was the doer. Mary, on the other hand, just wanted to hang out with Jesus; nothing more, nothing less. Of course, Martha got mad at Mary and scolded her for being a slacker. But Jesus explained that Mary was making the best use of her time and Martha was the one missing out. Like I said earlier, anal people can really miss the point sometimes.
One of my partners in ministry at New Song Church is kind of a “Mary” type. The nature of her job is that of a “doer” but in a paradoxical way, she really understands the need to just “be”. On occasion she sees my need to break away from the madness of work and encourages me to do so. Today she sent an email and this is all it said, “Is there anything new to check out on your blog? You need to set aside time to write and time to “be”. These are non-negotiable times in your weekly calendar.” So, I packed up my computer and headed to Port City Java, one of my favorite refuge spots in town, to practice the art of “being”. I found myself singing that song, “Clocks” by Coldplay.
In this life, we have a lot to do and not much time to get it done. I often quote the words of Jerry Reed, who wrote the theme song to the movie Smokey and the Bandit, “We’ve got a long way to go and a short time to get there.” No doubt we have to make the most of our days as they are both precious and numbered. But sometimes it’s way more important to “be” than to “do”. Balance is the key. Are you balanced? Do you spend so much time “doing” that you miss the opportunity to just “be”? When’s the last time you took a break, collected your thoughts, and enjoyed the moment at hand?
“Confusion that never stops, The closing walls and the ticking clocks, Gonna come back and take you home, I could not stop, that you now know, Singing come out upon my seas, Cursed missed opportunities, Am I part of the cure, Or am I part of the disease”
Stop the confusion, stop the closing walls, and stop the ticking clocks. Be the cure, not the disease. Enjoy a moment and find time to just let yourself “be”.
It’s funny…one of the first things I noticed about the picture of the clock in your office is the faint reflection of you taking the picture. It’s as if you’re holding the moment in your hands. Wouldn’t it be cool if we could hold onto time? Sometimes yes and sometimes no.
The other thing that comes to mind when I look at this picture is prayer. Why? Because every Sunday morning (and some Wednesday nights before The Groove) the Praise Team gathers in your office, takes a few moments “to be” and then it’s “time to pray”. That clock represents the time that is set aside to pray before each and every worship service begins. Before it is time to go to our instruments; before it’s time to spin the CD or lower the lights; before the doors are ever opened…our hearts are opened in prayer. It’s time to pray. Then again, when is it not time to pray?
Friday, September 5, 2008 – 10:17 PM
Jennifer
Danny – You always seem to “read my mail” when you write your blogs. “Being” is so hard for control-freak, overachievers such as me. I was hurrying my children along the other day to get out the door, and the Lord convicted me that I’m always HURRYING them somewhere. Time passes so quickly, and I’ll NEVER get the moments back that I hurry through. My prayer is “Lord, please help me to just “be”, whether with You Lord, my precious family and friends or even the people I meet in line at the grocery store.” I want to SAVOR the moments I’ve been given!!
Saturday, September 6, 2008 – 08:33 PM
Time is a topic few seem to understand. Time is relative. How much time do you have left? For a victim of cancer, time is precious. For a teenager, time is infinite and old age is an eternity away. Actually time is a continuim or just a measuring stick. We all have the same amount of time each day and we all have our life time, some long, some short, but we all will live out the time our Heavenly Father provides to us. What is precious to me is that we have the ability to choose how we spend our time. God gives us that free choice like he does in so many instances of our life.
Each day we are faced with the challenge of completing the tasks associated with our daily living, our family, our work, and our own pleasure. The people you label as anal (count me among those) are indeed focused on the task at hand and fail to see the beauty around them. I think those anal people usually are younger. As I have aged, I have noticed that I am not so concerned about all the small details that must be completed each day. I find that some of the mundane tasks seem to take care of themselves. When the house gets dirty enough, some one will notice and make the choice to clean it. Other tasks are more urgent by nature. Just consider a young child. You will not forget to fix dinner one night because they will surely let you know your error. In short, life is full of demands that have varied urgencies and degrees of consequence if we fail to perform or if we ignore the task.
At some point in time we will run out of time on this earth. I have been to many funerals and have surmised that life is culminated into what we have done or what we have said that impacted the life of those around us. At funerals, folks all remember these moments of impact whether the moment was one of comfort or a moment of wisdom or just plain kindness. The important issue was the moment taken to reach out.
I believe God knows each decision we will make each day of our life. I also believe that he knows the decisions for each person on the planet earth. All decisions are like the branches of a tree starting from this moment to infiinity and look like a the branches of a large tree reaching to the sky. I also believe that each decision can be impacted by the decisions made by others, resulting in an alternatives. While God knows each decision and the ultimate outcome, I do not believe he interferes. That is our free choice.
While this blog may seem very philosophical, the purpose is to effect a change in our thinking, our decision making processes. We each have literally a life time to affect the people around us. I am reminded of the movie “The Bucket List”. The impact of the friendship is what life is all about. A motivational speaker once stated that iron sharpens iron, meaning you must surround your self with people who can teach you something in order to grow beyond your knowledge and life experiences. WE must realize that our life experiences have value to the folks we meet and know. We each have the ability to learn and to teach. To some one around you in need, you have the answer to their problem.
A friend of mine made a decision to accept Christ and give up a life of drugs and self centeredness. As a result, he witnessed to me four times over a one year period. I accepted Christ as my savior. Through the years, I have led several folks to the Lord who in turn have done the same thing. What if my friend had not taken the time to witness to me the fourth time?
Life is not about time itself, but about how much of that time we invest in others. I believe if you pray each day to be used by God and allow Him to intervene into your time through the Holy Spirit, your life will be so rich with friends and meaningful events of life, no church could properly contain all the folks who would come to your funeral.
Sunday, September 7, 2008 – 07:17 PM
Psalm 139:3 “”You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest.”
My family was boating on Labor Day and witnessed one of those scary moments on the water. We were anchored well off of the channel over by the marshes, relaxing and fishing (mostly relaxing!) A skiff was barreling through the narrow channel pulling a tube with two riders. Suddenly the boat veered sideways and threw all the people in the boat out! The boat circled closer and closer and finally hit one of the people in the water. She escaped with a minor cut on her shin and they did gain control of the boat and were able to leave the scene without too much damage done. As we sat in our safe, anchored position that we slowly navigated by reading the chart, and looking at the depth finder, we were reminded what damage can be done when you hurry through and don’t pay attention to the signs.
We need to pay attention to the chart, the channel markers, and the depth finder to know when to stop and rest! He gives us all the signs and He has already charted the path! We just need to stay focused on the source and He will helps us to know when it is time to just be.
That being said, I quote the words of that iconic sports apparel company and speak these words as much to myself as to anyone who is reading…”Just do it!”
Friday, September 12, 2008 – 04:35 PM
That’s what’s up. It seems that many people don’t have enough time on their clock. Our entire society is based off of time. But if there was more hours on the clock, do you think that would make us less busy? Do you think we will be able to get more done? I don’t think so. I think the more time we have the more busy we will be and the more time we will have to fit more stuff into our agenda. I don’t think it’s not having enough time, it’s more of how we utilize the time we have.. which I believe you mentioned.
As of myself, i’m the opposite because I don’t let time control me. There are some exceptions, like when i’m at work or something relative.. but even with that.. I balance my time so I won’t overwork myself. I believe in society many people keep their selves so busy that they overwork their bodies and mind, and are not capable of giving their best efforts. That leads to poor performance, affects their attitudes and relationships.
As I was reading this blog, a close friend came to mind. I askes my bud a few weeks ago if he had any hobbies, and he couldn’t think of anything. I believe it’s because he don’t have enough time. But my bud is a hard working individual, and being able to hang out with others on the weekend, and his beautiful wife and children are the only hobbies he needs. But the greatest point about your blog is finding the time to break free. Jesus did it all of the time to rejuvenate.
I usually don’t worry about time that much daily. I usually worry about the bigger clock, the clock of my life. I don’t know when that time is going to expire, so I constantly try to use that time as wisely as I can, and make it valuable. I want to make sure i’ve done all that I was suppose to before that clock stops ticking, and that I make something of myself and pass it on to others as they do the same. That’s probably why i’m always making others time more important than mines. I feel like time is passing me by alot and i’m just watching it. That’s why I reflected back on a couple of your blogs as confirmation from Him that it’s time to walk out on FAITH. In order to do that, I had to do something spontaneous, and that causes me not to just sit around and wait like I was doing, no matter how bad I wanted to be in His will. You’re right he has been blessing me and had everything prepared for me. I just had to make that leap of Faith.
Friday, September 12, 2008 – 04:50 AM