CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – Here’s a book that’s on my readling list for the near year: it’s The Time Keeper, by Mitch Album. I’ve already read his books ‘Tuesdays with Moorie’ and ‘The Five People You Meet In Heaven’. Both are excellent reads; much better than the low-budget movies that both were made into.
I’m fascinated by the premise of The Time Keeper. It’s the story of the man who invented the first clock, allowing us to measure the hours and the days of our lives. God considers that a sin… that time is God’s greatest gift to us, something that no human can truly master. The first clock-maker is banished to a cave where he must listen to the pleadings of people who beg for more time. One book reviewer had this profound observation: Humans are the only creatures to have burdened themselves with a sense that time is running out. Your dog, a tiny ant, a giraffee… have no such awareness. To them, time just “is”.
We’ve just begun a new year; a marking of time. I’ve come to realize that time dominates my life. I must be at work – on time to the moment – each day. The newscasts and programs you hear start at fixed times to the second. Sporting events like football, basketball and hockey are all timed.
I don’t know how I’d make it through the day if I lost track of time. And yet, time is a completely human construct. Mankind has painstakingly mapped out how many minutes there are in a hour, and how many hours in a day, and days in a week and a year. What if God did not intend for us to have time as we have it today? We count the days until vacation, until graduation, until retirement. This many days, this many months, this many years to go. Would we be happier if were lived in the moment? What if our lives were intended to savor the now, not constantly trying to turn the pages of our lives towards things that are in the future.
There were no clocks when Jesus walked the earth. And one of his often-overlooked teachings is not to worry about tomorrow. “Today’s problems are enough for today,” He told us.
God gives each of us the same amount of time. I pray in the new year that I not count the hours, but instead be more purposeful in what I use them for.
I hope that you’ll consider becoming a regular supporter of the Gospel TLC. It’s a faith based transitional living center in Weston for men who are turning away from addiction and are working to change their lives. If you’d like to help, there’s a link here:
The men at the Gospel TLC also cook their own meals. They need things like Disposable Vinyl Gloves, Dawn dish soap, dishwasher pods, milk, eggs, shredded cheese, and drink mixes. Those items can be dropped off as the Gospel TLC building at Crosse Point Boulevard, near the hospital in Weston.
Chris Conley
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