We often feel that time is slipping through our fingers. We wonder: is there time enough to do all the things we want to do in life?
As I write this, it late in the afternoon. The quiet of the day has come. The sun is brilliant at this moment and absolutely lovely, but, very soon, it will be evening.
Oftentimes, at this five o’clock hour, the busyness of the day begins to subside. Night is coming and another day will soon be done. The sun at this time is remarkable. Maybe, that is because it is ready to set behind yet another irreplaceable day. The days do pass quickly; still, the passage of light each evening into darkness is always something to think about.
What has this particular day brought? What has made for the magic of a day well-lived? For it is all the days that add up to a life well-lived.
Funny, when you stop and think of all the little things that make such a difference in a day. Perhaps, someone had ‘time enough’ to wish you well, or call you out of the blue. Perhaps, it was the hug you gave a neighbor or a friend going through a hard time. Perhaps, it was the encouragement a student so desperately needed to hear.
We have our dreams and our bucket lists. And these are very important. But, when we choose daily to cherish the people and things we love already in our midst, we find joy without searching for it. We discover a ‘bucket’ of happiness right on our own doorstep. The ‘stuff’ of dreams is at our fingertips…little epiphanies and acts of kindness, well beyond our list-making.
It is as if we tiptoe out into the garden of life looking for all these rare flowers and plants. We are always searching for them. We think there is some extravagant thing we might pass by. Surely, that very exotic plant is waiting for us just a little further down the path.
And there in the garden every morning are these exquisite blooms, ravishing roses, that are our beloveds, and vines that annoy us, but are most certainly lovely in their own way…coworkers with a different life slant, neighbors who do things their own way. We learn from these ‘vines’ as well as from the ones we like best.
Still and all, the light in the garden is beautiful any time of day. There is ‘time enough’ for so many things – our friends, our families, our neighbors, and all those we meet along the way.
As we step out each day, may we celebrate the blooms God has so graciously gifted us with. And may we remember that with Him there is an ‘everlasting spring’, an endless sea of blooms, and ‘time enough’ for everything.
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven…” Ecclesiastes 3:1
Linda, this was so beautiful. I’ve not lived this day as well as I should have… I think I could have done more. Now the sun has set and the hours will never be returned to me to be relived.
But I’ve come here and read this post of light and hope. Here is God’s reminder that should He gift me with another day tomorrow, I will endeavour to live it completely in His Will, in His garden, amongst blooms and vines.
We struggle with the vines. With Christ, we always have hope…his light invades the garden, casting out the darkness. It is our destiny to focus always on the light. It is not easy to do. In that God is our constant support. We must perpetually give our cares to him, release our fears daily without question. Our heavenly Father wants only the very best for us.
Focus on the light… this has come up repeatedly since yesterday. I understand now. When He tells us to hope, He doesn’t leave us to our own devices; He also shows us how.
I always think of the verse, Phil 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.” God is our rock. He knows the way; He shows us the way. His light is our only way, and He brings us to it, ever leading His sheep, ever keeping them close. We never fade from his view, and His light shines within us as well.
I believe that the strongest people are those who never forget that God is everything and who live that belief each day.
You are so right!
[…] each day, may we celebrate the blooms God has so graciously gifted us with. ~ Linda Raha, Time Enough, Reflections From An Open […]