Years ago, I read a quote from our 35th president, John F. Kennedy: “We must use time as a tool, not as a couch.”  The quote is a mandate for action.  Make the most of every possible second. Be intentional.  Work hard, play hard, pray hard—because time is running out.

There is a lot of truth in that quotation.  But is it possible to pay too much attention to the clock—guarding every second, managing every moment?    Is it possible to care so much for time that we never have enough?

I’ve taken on a landscaping project at our home, so I’ve spent a lot of time in the dirt.  My 5-year-old daughter Emma loves to dig with me.  She likes finding rocks and leaves and other “treasures.”  But her favorite discovery is always a worm.  It doesn’t matter that there are hundreds of worms.  She loves ALL of them.  In fact she loves them so much that she wants to collect them.  She holds them and pokes them; She places them in containers with dirt and leaves (to preserve their natural habitat, I’m sure).  But her love for the worm ends up killing the worm.

What if we do the same thing with time?  I’ve noticed I can squeeze every second so tight that I can become unproductive.  And when I pay too much attention to the clock, I stop truly living.  Maybe the answer is balance.  Maybe the answer is Sabbath…

TO BE CONTINUED NEXT POST