God Knows Where the Time Goes

What happened? It felt like high summer! And suddenly school was about to start, and then it was Labor Day and then the first day of fall…and by the end of the week we’re getting ready for the first of October. Meanwhile, schedules have suddenly exploded: the school activities, the church programs, the schedule of meetings and commitments: to say nothing of having to make decisions between the NFL and the various community commitments we feel compelled to support… and … and.

It's tempting to go off on some kind of tear about how we have to remember to keep time for God in the midst of all the activity. But I don’t know: instead of lamentations about how busy we are, and about how the business has just gotten ramped up a notch or twelve, or complaints like, “where does the time go?” … I wonder if it’s not more effective to just take a deep breath, and dive into the busy-ness … and then to think about where God might be in the midst of the busyness. I think of the person who cooked and cleaned in a medieval monastery kitchen: while the monks were busy at prayer and copying manuscripts, Brother Lawrence was busy chopping carrots and polishing pans and baking bread – but his activity did not get in the way of his prayer. He simply saw no need to stop chopping just because he was also busy talking to God.

With his busy, active life, he did not have to “find time” to pray, making his prayer “one more thing to do.” He simply prayed. The bread got baked; the kitchen got cleaned – and God got praised, too.

Blessings on you and your busyness, my friends!

The Rev. Allen Heggen