Have you ever noticed that the concept of time is a whole lot more fluid than we give it credit for? You ask most people for the time and they're going to look at their watch or a clock nearby and say, "It's 1:16 p.m." Well, yes, but ...
Think about the different way that different entities relate to time. Have you ever had something going on in your life that you were saying numerous prayers about, and having to trust that God would take care of it in his time? I have, and it's amazing to me that my "time" and God's "time" so often seem to mean two different things. "Well, yeah ...", you think, "but God's eternal, so time is different to him." Well, yes, but ...
Have you noticed that it's not really all that much different when it comes to our kid's concept of time, especially if they are young kids? We are wrapped up in the constant rush of adulthood ... trying to get everything done on a deadline. Wake up now, eat breakfast now, be ready to get out the door now, because this child has to be to school by this time, and that child has to be there by that time, and I've got errands to run and things to do ...
My kids have no concept (that I've noticed) of time. When they want something, they want it now. If I go in the kitchen and pull a pan out, they're ready to eat, despite the fact that none of the food is ready yet. It doesn't really matter whether I wake them up in the morning 45 minutes before we need to leave or an hour and a half ... they'll be fiddling their time (or is it my time I'm worried about?) away anyway. There's always a distraction, always something more interesting or important in a child's world than the things that "need" doing. They are the incarnation of "stop and smell the roses", and sometimes I think we (and by that I mean me, too) need to take a lesson from them.
Yes, there will always be things that need doing. But our time with our children passes by so quickly, and if we lose sight of that we may miss out on the time of our lives.
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