More Than Just A Song By The Byrds

Today I am once again thinking about time.  Yesterday it was the changing of the seasons; today it’s the passage of time that I’m pondering.  

Last night was the end of Daylight Savings Time and we set our clocks back an hour; it was glorious.  Not only was getting the extra hour much appreciated, but I love that now it won’t be quite so dark when I hit the gym in the morning, and it makes me genuinely happy that it will get dark more quickly in the evenings.  Like I said yesterday, it’s my favorite time of year!

A friend who has several littles posted on Facebook this morning about her dislike for the time change; boy, do I remember those days!  While it’s a welcome event now in my house, I recall all too well how hard of a change it is for the wee ones.  The end of DST just means that you get to wake up an hour earlier for a few days…not an exciting prospect and a reminder that we need to support all of the young mommies out there.  As she and I spoke at church though, we discussed the whole growing up process and it caused me to stop and think about the passage of time.  I’ve come to the conclusion that I think it’s a good thing.

Don’t get me wrong – there are plenty of moments that I’d like to go back to.  I’ll just name a few:  I’d like to revisit family time with my grandparents, a time when the Mr. and I were young and carefree, the days when my boys were small and they loved hugs and snuggles, and the times when the big problems weren’t anywhere near as big as they are now.  Stepping back to any of those moments, or countless others, just for a little while would be nice.  It’s known, it’s comfortable, and those were happy times.  It’s easy to wish, especially during the hard times, that we could just go back; as if simpler times would make everything better.  I don’t like change and it’s easy for me to try to avoid it altogether. 

Here’s the thing though: I’ve come to realize that if things would have stayed the same, if time hadn’t relentlessly marched on, we would have missed out on so very much.  If things would have stopped when I was younger and had my grandparents with me and we spent tons of family time watching football, I’d have missed the unexplainable joy (and fear!) of watching my own sons play football.  If Andy and I were still young and carefree, sure I’d be a little thinner, but we’d have missed out on so many years of the good stuff; we’ve grown in our marriage in ways that we’d have never thought possible in the early days.  If my boys were still little and snuggly, I wouldn’t be now watching with pride as they’re becoming godly, responsible, independent adults.  And as for those problems that seemed big then?  They were there for a reason; God has been so faithful to us, even in the little things, that I can now without (much) hesitation and with complete confidence trust Him to be there for us regardless of what we may be facing now or in the years to come. 

The passage of time brings change, but change, if you let it, can bring tremendous growth.  You learn that there are times when you can in fact bend rather than break.  You learn to lean on the One who never changes and is always there with grace and mercy, giving you just what you need for each and every day.  You mature and you gain perspective.  You are better equipped to help those around you.  There are hard moments, sometimes excruciatingly hard periods of time, but you put one foot in front of the other and keep going.  And then you grow some more.  I am learning (sometimes slowly and painfully) to fondly recall the memories of the past, but to accept change and embrace what each new stage of life brings me.  

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, "There is an appointed time for everything.  And there is a time for every event under heaven – "  Every day is a gift, and I am trying my best to rejoice in it rather than focus on what is past or what might have been.  In this lifetime there will be good, bad, and everything else in between.  And that’s how it’s supposed to be.  

So for the passage of time, I’m finally learning to be thankful.