Growing up in the South, my Mom always dreaded when Springtime came along, because it meant we would be switching to Daylight Savings Time, or as she always called it “fast time”. As such, she also always looked forward to Fall, when once again the clocks were turned back to her favorite time, “slow time”.
More importantly though, recalling the term “slow time” the other day, caused me to pause and ponder what the phenomena of time is all about? I call it “slow time” because God originated the measuring of time for His creations to help regulate life on earth by providing “light by day, and darkness by night” according to the passage in Genesis 1:5.
Moreover, I believe God knew that because of man’s sinful nature, he would want to control everything in his environment, and therefore He ensured that Man would never have any power over time or the wind. Man could not control time, no more than he could grasp the wind. In essence, God created “slow time” for earth’s inhabitants to observe and appreciate all of His creations in accordance with the seasons of life.
Now looking back on my youth, it was much easier living in slow time. Life was easier being able to enjoy each moment rather than living the fast-paced world I joined a few decades later. Looking back in time at my life, it’s interesting to recall how as teenagers, we felt that nothing we wanted to do or hope to attain would ever come. Life appeared to be in “slow motion”. At times, it was a huge struggle to be patient in our early years because we wanted so much and wanted to experience so much, we didn’t want to “wait for it”. We wanted instant gratification and we became frustrated when the desired satisfaction was delayed. Patience wasn’t a virtue; it was torture!
It was years later during those fast-paced years where we were so afraid we’d miss out on the next big thing if we didn’t hurry up and get there. But where was “there”? Why were we running at such break neck speeds that we flashed by the quality of the experience, the wonder of the moment? We didn’t know how to slow down. We soon learned that before we knew it, we were older and jealous for the time lost in speeding through life’s events.
A couple decades later, we wanted time to slow down so we could maximize the quality of each moment, to do and experience as much as possible before our lives on earth come to a close. The focus was on enjoying the “here and now”. Nevertheless, the days and weeks zipped by so fast we were forced to look at a calendar to confirm what day it was. Wow, where did the time go? We wanted our “slow time” back before it was too late.
Unfortunately, regardless of how much our extremely intelligent scientists try to explain the essence of time, and despite the advancement of technology, we as human beings have no control over time whatsoever. Like it or not, time marches on in our earthly “slow time” dimension.
On Earth, we have self-imposed time constraints on each set of 24 hours we call a “day”. Conversely, God has no self-imposed time constraints, because God lives in the universe called infinity. And throughout infinity, He’s always there in each present moment. As Christians, that’s where we will enjoy an eternal spiritual life with God.
Understanding the concept of God’s infinity is difficult at times, because the infinity of God’s dimension goes far beyond our level of comprehension. In God’s world though, infinity has no relevance to time. Infinity is best described in God’s own words – “I AM”. For God is present in each and every moment across the endless continuum of “infinity”. And the best place for you and me to be is in the “present moment”, for that is where God is for all of us. The present moment is where we can enjoy the ultimate relationship with our Lord. Make time to stay in the moment, not worrying about the future or regretting the past.
I pray that you may be content and take advantage of living in earth’s “slow time”. Stay in the present moment each day to fully experience and appreciate God’s presence of infinite love, mercy, provision and faithfulness in caring for you and me in His world of infinity.
Live, Love, and Grow in Jesus!!
Blessings,
Jerry
