Time talks, and what is it saying to you?

In this article, I’d like to talk about time.

We cannot smell or see time. Even our most powerful scanning electron microscope cannot see it. Our incredible olfactory system cannot detect the scent of time. We don’t really have any empirical evidence of its existence. Nonetheless, daily we see its effects.

Albert Einstein once quipped, “The only reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once.”

Theoretically speaking, there are two points on Earth that are zero time — two points of timelessness: the North Pole and the South Pole. Time lines are vertical, or longitudinal, and all the lines converge at the poles. However, even if you were to stand in the middle of the pole, sadly, you would still age.

We cannot fully grasp the mystery of time; however, we can measure it. And if we can measure it, we can use it to prioritize what’s really important. Hence, we can measure time — and time can measure us.

Missionary Adoniram Judson once said, “A life spent is irrevocable. It will remain to be contemplated through eternity. The same may be said of each day. When it is once past, it is gone forever.”

This is a salient observation: “Once past, it is gone forever.” Do we spend our time on things that matter? What is important to you — I mean really important to you?

Time is a mystery. Time talks.

One of the most common issues in relationships is the misuse of time. Often, I hear things like, “He’s always playing video games,” or “She’s always on Facebook.”

Dr. James F. White, former professor at Drew University, said this about time: “The way we use our time is a good indication of what we consider to be of prime importance in life. We can always be counted on to find time for those things we consider most important, though we may not always be willing to admit to others, or even to ourselves, what our real priorities are. Whether it is making money, political action or family activities, we find the time for putting first those things that matter most to us. Time talks.”

Perhaps we need to re-evaluate how we are spending our time.

Remember the words of Judson: “Once past, it is gone forever.” How you spend your time reveals your value system. What do you value? How do you use time?

This week, I urge you to ruminate on how you spend your time. Gary Chapman, author of the book, The Five Love Languages, wrote, “A central aspect of quality time is togetherness. I do not mean proximity. Togetherness has to do with focused attention.” Let’s focus our attention on what really matters.

Time. We cannot see it. We cannot hear it. We cannot smell it. But it talks.