F.R.E.S.H. News
TIME: FRIEND OR FOE
By Noel Hwande
There’s a movie that was in the movie theatres recently called The Bucket List. I haven’t seen it yet, but it stars Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson as two old men who find out that they do not have much longer to live. So they decide to squeeze in the list of things they had always wanted to do before they kicked the bucket. I am sure that many of us have similar lists in some form or another.
Lately I’ve been doing a lot of reflection on my own “bucket list”. I remember when I first wrote it. I was preparing to graduate from college, and what an ambitious list it was. I was going to become Secretary General of the United Nations, on my way to gracing the cover of Time magazine’s “Man of the Year” issue.
Well, more recent revisions to this list have become noticeably conservative. For instance, running with the bulls in Spain has been replaced by taking a one of those famous siestas, in Spain.
Of course there is some humor to be found in this, but what is it about time that slowly chips away at our dreams and ambitions? Is time my friend or foe?
One of my wife’s favorite TV commercials shows a woman standing at the edge of a pond, feeding ducks. Unbeknownst to her is that there is a grandfather clock peeking at her from behind a tree. The clock eventually sneaks up behind her and pushes her into the water. Then a voice over says, “Time is not your friend.”
I think a pretty convincing argument be made to come to such a conclusion. Haven’t we all experienced this for ourselves?
Time intentionally moves fast or slow just to spite us. It drags on when we’re uncomfortably cramped in a car on a cross-country road trip, or when we’re stuck listening to some guy talk about “time” before lunch. On the other hand, time flies by in between mortgage payments, or tax deadlines.
In fact, because I can so vividly remember the day I arrived in this country over a decade ago, I have come to the realization that as quickly as one second passes, so goes a year. So goes a decade. And so goes a lifetime.
In his book entitled An Enemy Called Average John L. Mason says that God, in His infinite wisdom created us all equal in one respect. That is we all have the same 24 hours in each day. So can I really fault time for my not having accomplished all the things I’ve said I’d do? Perhaps it is not time, but how we use it that is our foe.
So, what more can be said about time?
A lawyer will tell you that time is money, and charge you accordingly. But the more I think of it, time is way more valuable than money. We can always earn more money, but nothing we can say or do will earn us more time. Time is priceless!
Time allows wounds – physical and emotional – to heal.
Time helps love grow.
Time soothes anger – allowing us to think before we speak or act.
Time is indeed our friend.
The 24 hours that the Creator gave to us – male and female, rich and poor – are a gift. I believe that the time that we give to others, to our families, friends and our community, are a gift back to God. Remember, time is more valuable that money.
There is an African proverb that says, “When a dying man cries, it is not because of where he is going – a place which he knows nothing about, but because of what he wishes he would have done in the world he is leaving behind.
This evening as you lay down for the night I encourage you all to think about that proverb and how it pertains to your life. Forget about the day that’s passed. You will never get that time back. Instead, focus on the day that is coming, and how you can bless someone with your time or how you can use the time to cross some more things off your bucket list.
