Time

      Time is one hell of a concept. Time drives our society. We rely on gadgets like clocks, watches and phones to keep track of time and we trust that these tools will do their jobs because time is precious, so precious that some people pay big money for gadgets to tell time down to the exact millisecond. Time is precious, we're told from a very young age, even before we truly understand,  that it's bad to waste time. Folks can argue forever about what activities are a waste of time. Michelle and I used to argue over whether video games were a waste of time. I thought not because they relaxed me, but I also thought watching a TV series over and over was a waste of time, but she saw it as therapeutic.
      There are millions of things that you can spend your time doing during your lifetime. Some things are necessary to increase your quality of life. It is absolutely necessary that you spend some of your time eating, sleeping, cleaning yourself. How much time you spend on those necessities is your choice. Your job plays a huge role in the amount of time you get to allocate for everything else. Exercising, social media, taking kids to practice, errands, visiting family members, book clubs, car repairs, Starbucks, play dates, taking pets to the vet, home repairs, dinner dates, online shopping, fantasy football, vacations, church. We know time is precious and that's why we pack so much into the free time that we have. Before I was diagnosed with ALS I stayed busy. I liked to socialize especially to keep busy, I was always flying by the seat of my pants, then ALS struck and that flying turned into a crawl.
     That precious time I didn't want to waste wasn't moving as fast anymore but at the same time it was fleeting because no one survives ALS, my time-stock took a major loss on the Dow Jones. So after the initial shock of diagnosis wore off I turned to the Master of Time himself; God, for answers. I brushed up on scripture, listened to podcasts, talked to friends in Christ about what this loss of time meant. Now, I could throw myself a pity party about how my time on Earth had been cut short and now is the time to fully focus on myself, like a coward, scared what's around the corner, or I could stand strong in God's promise that Heaven has everything my soul desires and needs. Essentially flipping the scrip. I no longer cling to every moment as one I wasted or will never get back, I now see those moments as intentional morsels of Grace given by God.
     Feeling so blessed, with time slowing down for myself I have been able to reflect on why time is so precious. It's not there for you to pack until you burst, it's there for you to help others, it's there for you to give glory to God, it's there to reflect on the blessings you have. You may think what I'm saying is irresponsible because society screams at you to live your life to the fullest! I would argue that my way is doing just that. Heaven is our playground where time ceases to exist and we can do whatever it is we loved on Earth and what we can only imagine. No more need for planners or gadgets. You'll just be. And if you can't picture this in your future, maybe it's time to set aside that precious time and strengthen your relationship with God. He always has time for you.

Sunset near Egg Harbor, Wisconsin.