"Now" vs Jet Lag

A mosaic in Berea where both Jews and Greeks

received what Paul had to say AND

Paul really did speak from steps

like those in the mosaic

Time is a funny thing, an arbitrary measurement, sometimes useful, sometimes a pressure cooker. Yet is it time that builds pressure, or is it how we relate to the ticks and tocks of our day?

Here’s a splendid application for managing time. One of our travel hosts on my recent trip following Paul’s footsteps in Greece, explained helpfully, “As soon as I get on the plane, I set my watch to the time of the place where I am going. And I think and act according to the time it is there.”

My sister had advised, “Don’t even think in terms of ‘If I were home I’d be having breakfast, or sleeping, or whatever.’ Live in the now.”

What a practical two-step antidote for jet lag. 1. Set your watch for where you are going and think and act according to the time it is there. 2. Live in the now.

It worked well for all 26 of us on the tour, so far as I know.

We can refuse to be the victim of “time” in other ways too. When I first discovered this some years ago, I was late for something that seemed important and the temptation was to lean heavy on the pedal and zip through traffic to try to be not-too-late. It occurred to me that instead of being a traffic hazard by driving as though only I was important, I could consciously both slow down and pray.

Have you ever tried to break a hurry-hurry habit? It isn’t always easy. What came to me as I prayed was that I was exactly where God wanted me to be – expressing His qualities of thoughtfulness, patience, and trust in the one Mind to be in control. When hurrying, I was trying to be in control. By slowing down, I was trusting God’s timing.

I agreed to let God be in control, and prayed for the harmony, safety, and good judgment of all on the road. Sure enough upon arrival, I was the first one at the meeting – others had been delayed as well. And this same sort of calm trust in God’s timing has yielded similar results time after time.

Paul lived in the now. He advised forgetting the past and setting goals and moving toward those goals. His personal goal was letting God direct his life for God’s own good purpose. If he had had a watch, I think Paul would have set it for “Now.”

By the way, for those who may be interested, this tour was hosted and led by http://www.biblicaltravels.com/