Time to the Infinite Power

Time to the Infinite Power

My day seems to have slipped away with little evidence of productivity. I began with great hopes of accomplishment, praying for the will of God to fall afresh upon the earth and for His Spirit to sweep me along in accord with it all. Within a couple of hours, all clients cancelled. I thought I’d redeem the day by making progress on my novel…but the mouse and keyboard proved unresponsive. Halfway through reorganizing the guest room closet to find extra computer components, my cell phone rang downstairs. Happy to offer a small modicum of help to the caller, I paced the first floor of my home and noticed neglected housekeeping tasks. As the call ended, a buzzer drew my attention from rearranging clutter. The laundry phenomenon remained–the chore which can never be finished–yet I persevered in the quest for an empty hamper. I decided to sort the mail before starting on my writing. By the time I had tucked the important documents into their places, I needed to leave home. A quick stop on the way to the prayer center put me behind. One son needed to go to an appointment. Once home, my other son requested pizza. I left again, returning to make another twenty minute stab at the impossible laundry mission. News, thirty minutes with my husband, and the night has fallen. I stare at my blank day and wonder what God thinks of how we spend time.

Time cannot affect the infinite God. His eternal nature and ways exist beyond its limitations. We might have enjoyed the same boundless life, if we hadn’t brought the entropy and agony of age upon ourselves by choosing sin in the Garden of Eden. The Almighty Father planned to resolve our fatal curse in the moment we caused it. He loved us enough to send His Son to lay aside infinity, dwell in hour-bound flesh, and bear our burden to His own torturous death.

Jesus understands a life lived in time, though He exists beyond its bounds in His glorified form. I look to His life, desperate to find out how He would evaluate my use of time. Some days, Jesus fed, healed, or taught thousands. Other days, He talked with a handful of His friends. For forty days, Jesus fasted in the wilderness with no human companions. The gospel seems devoid of quantitative measures to declare Jesus’ time well spent. No productivity quotients appear in His ministry, and He models no consistent formula for scheduling a day.

Isaiah 55:8

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.

While the world demands accomplished tasks, earned income, and tidy lists, God measures time by how we give it away. The moments I spent in prayer, worship, and sharing His love and kindness with others provided a more beautiful measure of eternal living than those when I found myself distracted by untidiness. Even the brief kisses to my husband and smiles at my sons lasted with un-ticked, un-tocked quality.

Maybe I’ll ignore the laundry, just for tomorrow, and use a few extra moments to see where the Spirit sweeps my soul.

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This Post Has 3 Comments

  1. Rick Stassi 1 May 2012 Reply

    “… if we hadn’t brought the entropy and agony of age upon ourselves by choosing sin in the Garden of Eden…” lest we forget His infinite grace, we should frequently revisit this fact. I enjoyed this post. The dual meaning in the title, etc…I like your writing. 🙂
    God bless you…
    rick
    @emanatingjoy

  2. runawayfaith 2 May 2012 Reply

    Tina, As usual I read your words and they resonate with my life. I find chunks of time slipping away and have chosen not to rest but to stop internally and focus on the Lord. The ordinary things need to be doneand so I look for evidences of Him in those moments.

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