Time Stand Still Please!

Have you ever found yourself in a moment when you wanted time to stand still? It could have been a sunset so beautiful that you wanted it to last forever. It could have been a conversation with a friend or family member who meant the world to you. It could have been your wedding day. Moments like this happen every now and then. It is almost like the eternity of heaven fills the present of earth and there is something remarkably mysterious that takes place.

I don’t claim to understand it. In fact, I don’t always recognize it when it happens. Truth be told, we are often too busy to notice moments like this. It is only when we stop what we are doing, where we are going, and what we are saying that we are reminded of who we are being. These moments when we wish for time to stop are the moments when we are most in tune with who we truly are as a child of God. I believe that – because we are reminded of the brevity of time and the eternal nature of God and find ourselves living the intersection of both.

One of those moments happened to me this past Sunday afternoon. Sunday afternoon Annlyn woke up from her nap. Eva and Ronna were still sleeping. Annlyn wanted one thing: to go outside and ride her bike. You see, Saturday morning we spent time in the driveway and she was riding her bike and loved it. She was getting the hang of it and wanted to go out again Sunday afternoon. So we went.

The moment happened without me realizing it was coming. That’s usually how it happens, isn’t it? I watched this little girl at four years old with long brown hair pulled up in a pony tail. She was riding her bike that was decorated with Anna and Elsa and had little blue streamers coming off the bike handlebars. She was riding down the driveway to the mailbox and back up to ride in a circle. The grin on her face was as broad as the Grand Canyon.

All I could think about was that one day this same little girl is going to be grown. All I could see in my mind was one day walking her down the aisle to get married and that I would have to give her away to a man who loves her – not as much as her daddy, but close. In that moment sitting in the driveway, I wanted time to stop. I knew that in the future when I walk her down the aisle all I will be able to see is this four year old girl on a cute little bike with blue streamers riding in the driveway. Now and then. Then and now. I wanted time to stop. Not slow down. Stop.

The trouble is time doesn’t stop. It keeps moving. Time continues to click beyond us and beside us in ways we will never understand and, thankfully, never be able to control. Here we stand, at the crossroads of the past and the future, remembering what has gone before and hopeful for what is to come. Yet, we stand. We watch as time goes by. We applaud its arrival and mourn its passing. Isn't this what it means to be human? Isn't this part of what it means to bear God's image? Isn't this what it means to be a child of the God who is eternally bound to time?

I took time to pray for Annlyn and Eva - she was awake from her nap by this point and was outside with us - while sitting in the driveway Sunday afternoon. I prayed for their futures. I prayed for the men whom they will marry one day. I prayed they would always know, hear, and follow the voice of God. That they would grow to be followers of Jesus who give their lives every day in service to the Kingdom.

It caused me to think differently about the words of Paul to the Thessalonians:

"Rejoice always, pray continuously, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (1 Thessalonians 5"16-18)

I had read these verses a thousand times before. I have preached and taught these verses. But something happened Sunday afternoon as I re-read these verses. I had never really seen - not in the context of a girl riding her bike - the instruction to rejoice ALWAYS and pray CONTINUOUSLY. These words are irrespective of time. They encapsulate time. It is almost like time stands still in their midst. Where we are now is not where we were and it is not where we will be. Give thanks for the present moment. Allow time to stand still. Know that our prayers are as timeless as the God to whom our prayers are addressed.

The image of Annlyn riding her bike is one that will never leave my memory. It is forever treasured. When the then becomes now, I will give thanks for the now that has stayed in my heart. May we all have eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to catch a glimpse of the inbreaking of God's presence among us.