Why and what makes us perceive time differently from situation to situation? I have been thinking about some current things in my life. I don’t know about you but I have been caught up in March Madness, maybe because my basketball team is in the Final Four. I have realized the last two minutes of a basketball game seem to last forever with all the timeouts and fouls. Also, this is the season for Spring Breaks. Whether you take two or five days off, does it feel like you blinked and they were over?
And we are also in the midst of Lent and 40 days can seem like an eternity when we commit to making changes during this time. Not to mention we are patiently waiting to rejoice in the resurrection.
So when I am curious I Google it. I said, “Hey Google, is time relative?” The first thing that came up is “In the Special Theory of Relativity, Einstein determined that time is relative—in other words, the rate at which time passes depends on your frame of reference.” I probably studied this in school at some point but had forgotten but now I am living it.
So what does all this mean in our lives?
We all hear the clichés of time is precious, live life to the fullest, enjoy every moment, or time is precious. However, no matter how we look at it there are the same amount of seconds, minutes, and hours in a day. Organizing our busy lives juggling all we have going on might be one step, but maybe God is asking us to relax and breathe – allowing ourselves to truly be silent and listen. I wish I could say I do this well, but I don’t. I am a work in progress, too, but being conscious of it helps. and I too need reminders.
So don’t watch the clock – LIVE! Don’t call lots of timeouts in your life. Keep having those conversations with God so you are prepared to make decisions in your life, making a path for tomorrow and time will always be on your side.
How are you going to embrace your time, one second, one minute, one hour at a time?