Words of Worth

It’s About Time

March 23, 2013

images-1Since I moved to Bucks County in 2006, I have lived in two time zones – Eastern Standard Time and Central Standard Time.  How can this be?  It happens in my head every time I glance at a clock.  When I check the time, I mentally subtract one hour because that’s what time it is back “home”.  When I make plans to talk with one of my Southern friends on the phone, we are careful to make sure we say “Your time or mine?”  We learned the hard way after missing a few phones calls.

This week, I’m living in three time zones because Sheryl is speaking for Words of Worth in Germany.  Sadly, it wasn’t the right time for me to be out of the country so I had to stay stateside this trip.  Since Thursday, every time I look at the clock, I subtract one hour for my Mississippi people and then add five hours for my ministry and speaking partner!  Whew!  By the way, if you could pray for Sheryl a few times through next Wednesday, we would both be very grateful.

Time is a funny thing.  We never really figured out the time difference last summer while we were teaching in India.  Chennai is 9 ½ hours ahead of us.  The nine I understand, but where did they find that other half hour?  How many of you could use an extra half hour in your day?  🙂  Ok, so the good folks in Southern India don’t really have an extra thirty minutes everyday but it still confuses me.

Time marches on whether we want it to or not.  When I stop looking at the clock and look at the calendar instead, I see my son will be 21 this summer.  That makes me, well…. 25 years older than 21.  When I looked at my husband this week, I laughed out loud because he had gone to get “readers” – the little eyeglasses that are sold in drugstores to help, um… older eyes see better.

So what do we do with the time we have?  How do we make the most of our time?

Last week, a verse from the book of Ruth jumped out at me and I’ve been pondering it ever since.  It happened to be in the King James Version so I’ve been rehearsing it that way in my head and heart.

“Where hast thou gleaned today?”  Ruth 2:19

Naomi was asking Ruth where she had physically gathered wheat that day.  But I’ve been considering that question from a spiritual angle.  Where am I gleaning everyday?  What demands my attention and my time?  Who is getting these precious fleeting hours?   Am I living my life in a way that will be worthy of the time I was given by the Lord?

It’s about time.  How are you spending yours?  (ct)

“Therefore, be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.”  Ephesians 5:15-16