Ticking Away The Moments

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For time is inches.  W.H. Auden

 I've been thinking lately about how interesting our perceptions of time are, and how those perceptions change depending on our perspective. 

 For example, there is a perception of Time that makes it feel as though it lasts forever. 

 You know this feeling when you are waiting in line at the DMV or enduring watching a kids' talent show where your kid went first and now you feel obliged to sit through all of the other kids and their "talents." 

 But Time also feels fleeting when you are doing something that you enjoy.  You know this feeling when you decide to close your eyes "just for a minute" on a Sunday afternoon, and you wake up hours later with drool on the couch pillow. 

 The other day this snippet from a poem by W.H. Auden showed up in my morning reading, and I wanted to share:  
In headaches and in worryVaguely life leaks away,And Time will have his fancyTo-morrow or to-day. 
This poem reminds me of two very important things that you and I need to know about Time: 

 First, there's a finite amount of time for you and me.  We aren't here forever on this big, blue ball, and we need to begin living like it. 

 The second thing you need to know is that God is outside of what we would call Time.  God perceives all possible times as one.  Past, present, and future are all together in God's eyes. 

 Which is awesome for you and me. 

 Because God sees you as you were, are and will be... and loves you, not in spite of all that, but because of it.   Here's how I know this to be true.  

 Fr. Richard Rohr is fond of saying that God "becomes what God loves," and as Christians, we believe that God went all out with that notion and literally became one of us in order to rescue all of us.  

 This is amazing news because it speaks to God's great love for us--all of us, even the parts we'd love to forget, and the mistakes we've yet to make.  

 So to sum up:  God loves you no matter what, and wants you to use the time you've been given on this earth to live fully and abundantly.  

 We don't need to live in dread of Time.  Time is not our enemy.  Time is a gift and we have a God-given mandate to live our best life in every moment of it. 

 May this be true for you today and every day.  And may the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you now and always. Amen.  

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