The Push of Time

The Fast Track

I lose track of how fast it’s going by. It seems just the other day I was pressing a new colorful license sticker to the plate. They seem to come now like fanning book pages. Scraping away at the old as much as possible, then sticking it on, convincing myself it won’t stubbornly peel off before the next one comes. It’s too cold, I’m not about to find a razor blade, and apply alcohol to make sure the surface is pristine and ready to go. I’ve never lost one yet, but you never know. It’s hard for a “rules guy” to compromise. Grace is helping me let up on myself. “Just stick it on there, it’s not going anywhere!”

Back to the Future

It seems only a few short years ago I celebrated my 50^th birthday at the Castle Rock Grange with many friends from the Rock Church and my family. We chose a ‘70s theme and everyone came dressed for the part. I had some righteous corduroy bell-bottoms and a silk striped shirt. I found some square-toed boots and grew my hair out a little. Linda was decked out, beautiful and looking real, with white platform boots. We were the bomb.

Princess Leia and Chewbacca came as a couple, hairy suit and all, and she had the buns stuck to the sides of her head. Only R-2 and C3PO were missing. My friend Mark volunteered to be the DJ for the party. The music was great. Disco, classic rock, and some old Bee Gees. He hauled in these huge speakers and kept the music rolling. There was a dance contest, under a disco ball. I didn’t participate so someone else could win. That was fifteen years ago. I still get goosebumps and feel tears when I recall it.

Letting Go

I don’t see much of Mark anymore. He fell in love and moved in with a beautiful lady whose husband died. She’s pretty, gentle, and speaks Spanish. I don’t blame him; it was a wonderful promotion after his divorce. He’s having more fun with her than playing pool with me and listening to the blues. It’s the time of his life. I have a hard time these days getting him to a pool table or a golf course. He’ll send me an emoji if I text him.

We need to let love have her way with people and let them go. It can be selfish to cling, hold on, and not let them move on to what they need. God will give us the relationships He has for us if we trust Him. They are not going to stay the same, they aren’t supposed to. If we’re true friends, we’ll let them have their happiness. This includes parenting I think. We keep our relationships, but let them redefine themselves, or damage them by refusing to do so.

Letting Dreams Die

Chewbacca divorced Princess Leia after he shamelessly left her and the kids for another woman. Moved out lock, stock, and barrel, without looking back seemingly with no regrets. I forgive him. She had to as well, paying a higher price to do so. She waited, has moved on, and is happy. I’m happy for her too. She married a man who shares her dreams, loves her, and respects her.

Time teaches the lessons of forgiving as you move on if you’ll learn from them. No small task when your heart is ripped out and all your dreams die. Most of us have run that gauntlet with differing levels of intensity. It takes a while and a lot of healing before you can risk dreaming new dreams. But dream we must, or remain alone as our love atrophies, and we stop growing, fearing to risk loving again. We just need to get over ourselves, accept reality and its pain, and forgive to take those loving risks and come back to life.

Time is on my side

Faith declares that “Time is not my enemy but my friend.”

“ How can you say that?” You may ask, feeling that time is chasing you towards death.

It depends on how you view death. Death is our doorway to eternity and our reward, nothing to fear since Jesus overcame it. We finally get freed from the illusion of “Plato’s Cave,” once and for all.

If we know Jesus, we’ll finally get to be with Him, and lay our burdens down. No more crying, but He will wipe away the tears from our eyes. The former things won’t come to mind. I’m not sure if that’s a memory wipe, or our “rapture” will be so intense, none of the former stuff will matter.

 I like to think we can remember whatever we want, but the reality of redemption will be so intense, that regret, remorse, or shame can’t exist in the presence of the perfect love of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We’ll be experiencing the reality of the unity of God to the fullest. It will be as Jesus prayed to the Father in John 17:21,

“That they may all be one as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.”

I don’t recall any of Jesus’ prayers that didn’t get answered.

We don’t just get to “be with” Him, we will be “one with Him” in an unimaginable way. Now, it’s through a glass dimly, but then “face to face.” Wow.

I Can Only Imagine

We can only imagine the intensity and fulfillment of that kind of intimacy and connection. There will be no more loneliness or a sense of not belonging. His love without limits will make sure of that. There will no longer be holes in our hearts, as perfect restoration and redemption are realized at last.

None of it will matter anymore. Grace will be everywhere, and we will finally be released from the push of time as we relax into eternity, which includes our never-ending relationship with Him who will never get boring, and the romance will never fade. XO Dan