Sundial

“Carry each other's  burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”   -Galatians 6:2 (NIV) There is a sun dial in my front yard that says “Grow old along with, me...The best is yet to be.” Another Christmas season has come to a close, and another year is now underway, and the clock keeps on moving ahead. Did you know that the ancient Greeks had two words for time? Chronos was used for scheduled time, such as days, months, and years in a person's life. Chronos is “of the clock; the o'clock part of let's say, “4 o'clock pm.” Kairos was different, used for the seasons in a person's life that are beyond or outside of regular time. Both types show up in the New Testament. As I think about time, I think of Mark, our hospice houseguest who is busy reapplying for Medicaid, something that he has to do every year: chronos. We have recently been on a trip to visit my family, including my sister and brother and their kids. We look at old how the kids are getting--all of  them now in school--and what each is doing at the particular stage in his or her life. For instance, the oldest, my sister's daughter, is now in her senior year of high school. This time for her is exciting  as she applies for admission and scholarships to various colleges. We are waiting to hear which school she will pick. Time has passed quickly for my brother's oldest son. No longer a little boy, he's a member of his high school's cross-country team. All of these things are related to kairos time. Kairos time can be thought of as experiencing life and the things about life in its present moment. Often people gets so involved in what they are doing with their life, they do not notice the chronos time passing by. Much of my life seems to be ordered by chronos time, as I having to work on a schedule and set the alarm clock for each next day. But when I am involved with my writing, photos, or graphics, time passes rapidly; scheduled time almost loses some of its meaning or purpose. I prefer the kairos moments, but chronos has its own purpose and place, especially in ordering and measuring our life experiences. Much about birth and death are chronos time. We know that Mark is currently dying, which will occur on some day and be written in the books, chronos. The process of dying, kairos is difficult for Mark and the rest of us because we don't know when it will occur, but we want to make the most of the time we have.  For many people in hospice, the process of dying takes much longer than they thought. When it does happen, it will be the right time for Mark. And when it comes, we will deal with it. Sometimes God's time can seem to move very slowly. We do not know why or how things happen. I still miss my Granny and Papa during holiday time, although they have been gone a long time. I still mourn the loss of a special dog I had in my life, named Koko, who lived to an old age of 16. She died of a stroke, and we saw her through her death. Both chronos and kairos times are needed to help make some sense out of life. The Christian faith deals with both time and measurement during the everydayness of our lives. The Church has its seasons, such as Advent, start of the new year, ordinary time (which is anything but ordinary), and special days in between. All help to give our lives of faith meaning and purpose. My husband has been out of work for over 2.5 years. I often wonder when he is ever going to get a job. I've decided that part is on God's time, and I am having to base our near future on faith. In the meantime, we continue with the food stamps. I continue to work at the retreat center, we look for fun and free things to do, and we work our way through the times of life. We can save time, spend time, use time, go on Daylight Savings time, or be out of time. If any of you have ever been on a retreat or long vacation, you know that it is very hard to get back to normal “clock” time when you return home.  We mark our days by special celebrations as a reminder of how far we have come in time. Time is a gift from God. How we use it and what we do with it, even if we choose not to use our time wisely, is up to each of us. Today, I am trying to be more thoughtful of how I use the time that I have been given, because if I use the gift of time wisely, this can be part of my offering of thanksgiving back to God.   What are some of your ideas about time? Prayer: Dear God, thank you for the gift of time that you have given to each of us, both chronos and kairos. None of us knows how many days we have, but we know that if we live our days in the way you have told us to live, we get closer to the kingdom of God, everyday.   We thank you that we don't have to fear time, because in trusting you, the best is yet to come.   In Jesus' name we pray, Amen

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