In today’s world, things are perpetually moving. Activities that once took hours now only take a matter of seconds, and for a lot of reasons, that’s a great thing. I love that when I’m seven hours away at college I can still text my family and friends constantly. I love that I can check my grades and e-mails every three seconds if I want to. I love that I can get an alert the minute that something newsworthy happens. Basically, I could go on for days about why the technology of today is a fabulous thing. However, I also believe that all of this technology has done something awful for our generation: it has made us hate time. My biggest pet peeve has become waiting. If I’m at a drive-thru window for more than fifteen minutes, I become annoyed. If my grades aren’t posted fast enough, I complain about it. I want what I want and I want it now, and I don’t think this mantra applies to just me. I often listen to podcasts by Andy Stanley, a well-known pastor in Atlanta, Georgia. In his “Time of Your Life” series, he states simply that, “Time is your friend." When I first heard this, I thought it was completely insane. How can something that gives you wrinkles be your friend? Despite my initial reaction, finishing the series gave me a fresh perspective, and my own list of ways that time is my friend and can be yours, too.
Time is your friend when you’re dating.
Welcome to the Information Age, where you can easily start dating someone that you’ve been texting for three days. But why do you need to? Last time I checked, there is no time limit for entering into a committed relationship. Go out on some actual dates first. What ever happened to talking over a nice dinner? It’s very likely that you’ll find out a lot more about a person by going on a few dates with them than you will texting them for a couple of days. It’s also a great idea to take some time for yourself. Giving yourself deadlines or racing against a nonexistent clock in the relationship department is not only unnecessary but also unwise. This subject makes me think of Proverbs 4:23, which says: “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
Time is your friend when you’re making big decisions.
We are all likely to make thousands of big decisions in our lives. Just think of the ones you’ve probably made already: choosing a college, purchasing a car, renting an apartment…and they only seem to get more complicated as life goes on. Unless you are forced by circumstances out of your control, these probably aren’t choices you should make in a time crunch. Don’t buy the first car you look at or attend the first college you visit. Take it from someone who knows, waiting to do things can be torture, but it can also save you from making a bad decision. Something that I often forget to do is pray about my decisions. If you are a visual person, it can also help to write out a list of pros and cons before you commit. Romans 8:25 says: “But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”
Time is your friend if you manage it.
One of the best things I have ever done is invest in a really nice planner. If I hadn’t done so, I would probably miss every appointment that I’ve ever made. It is very easy to see time as an enemy if you don’t have it under control. Making a schedule isn’t the most pleasant thing I’ve ever done, but if I didn’t do it I would literally forget everything that I need to do with my time. If you don’t like the idea of having to write down everything, use the Calendar app on your phone instead. Ecclesiates 3:1 says: “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.”
Time is your friend if you use it wisely.
I am seriously preaching to the choir with this one, because some days I am the world’s worst procrastinator. During the semester you can often find me watching Gilmore Girls (for the millionth time) when I’m supposed to be writing a paper. I also sometimes agree to go out with friends when I know I should be working on something so that I can turn it in early. I fully believe in taking time to relax and have fun, but I also know that putting off important work isn’t a wise way to use my time. I fully believe that each day is a gift and we should treat it as such. Psalm 90:12 says: “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”
Time really can be a friend. It is true that our days here on Earth are numbered, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take time to make good decisions and think about how we use them. The clock is always ticking, but sometimes it's okay to just let it. Life is not a race, it’s a journey.
