Time

Good day to each of reading this article as I do hope the COVID-19 virus has not affected you or your family members. I do hope each of you reading this, that you will take this virus seriously and pray for our doctors, nurses, patients, first responders, scientists and those working on the cure who put their lives at stake to save our lives. If I left out anyone, then let us pray for all those who are working diligently in this time of distress.

I read earlier that this virus is causing married couples to divorce because they are spending so much time together and that children don’t know what to do with themselves with so much time on their hands.

Before I get into the article, I came across the following: A man came home from work late, tired and irritated only to find his 5-year-old son waiting for him at the door.

“Daddy, may I ask you a question?”

“Ok, sure, what is it?” replied Dad.

“Daddy, how much money do you make an hour?”

“What makes you ask such a thing?” the man said in a mad tone.

“Uh, I just want to know, please tell me how much?” the little boy pleaded.

“Well, ok, I make 20.00 an hour.”

“Oh,” as the little boy bowed his head. Raising his head back, he said, “Daddy, may I borrow 10.00 please?”

The father became more irritated. “If the only reason you wanted to know how much money I make is just so you can buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then go straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you’re being so selfish. I don’t have time for this nonsense.

The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door. An hour or so went by and the man calmed down—thinking that he might have been a bit hard on his son. Thinking longer, maybe there was something he really need to buy with that 10.00, and he really didn’t ask for money very often.

The man went his son’s room, opened the door and asked him if he was asleep? “No daddy, I’m awake, “replied the boy.

Daddy sat down on the bed, scratched his head and said, “Son, I was too hard on you earlier, it’s was a long day at work, and I took my aggravation out on you. Here’s that 10.00 you asked for.”

The little boy sat up in bed beaming. “Oh, thank you daddy!” he yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow, he pulled out some crumpled-up bills. The man, seeing that the boy already had money, started to get irritated again. The little boy counted out his money, then looked up at his daddy.

Why did you want more money if you already had some?” the father grumbled. “Because I didn’t have enough, but now I do,” the little boy replied. “Daddy, I have 20.00 now. Can I buy an hour of your time?”

As busy as we are and in these times of trouble, share some time with those who need you, they need our time more than we will ever know.

Folks, I ask God to lay upon my heart a lesson that would pierce my heart and the story above did just that. Can’t you see a son looking to his father to raise the money to buy an hour of his father’s time? The above reminds me of the song, Cat’s in the Cradle by Harry Chapin.

How do you view time? I look at the above story and now I see time from a child’s eyes, so innocent, so loving and only wanting his father’s attention for a mere sixty minutes. Yet time fleets away and as it is fleeting, oh the memories made in that one hour of a son looking up to his father and beaming with joy because he made time for me in this busy world.

If you could put time in a bottle, what would you wish for when you open the bottle? If you could go back in time, what would you do differently? Time is the like the river that flows forward constantly and never looks back. Time is always fleeting, never captured, and progressing toward an endless path.

As I close, take some time to read about the little children that Jesus blesses in Matthew 19:13-14, Luke 18:18-30, Mark 10:17-31 and who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? The answer lies in Matthew 18: 1-4.

I hope, that as you read the story above, that you saw a child who was humble and sincere in his heart to have one hour, just one hour of his father’s time.

Thank you oh Heavenly Father for giving me the “free time” to spend with you twenty-four hours a day for each day of my life and for having an earthly father who spent the time to raise me in your ways.

Friends, time is fleeting and the hour is nearing, be prepared and look up for your redemption is nearing.

May God Bless you and may you always bless God.