Picard on time...

"Time is a companion that goes with us on a journey. It reminds us to cherish each moment, because it will never come again. What we leave behind is not as important as how we have lived." ~Captain Jean Luc Picard

It's no secret that I'm a STNG sort of Trekkie.  Smattered throughout the series are veins of classical literature and bits of wisdom like the above. This one has always struck me hard. Time - you think you have so much of it, or you whine that you have too little of it. However, as Picard stated, it is our constant companion and how we interact with that companion is of crucial importance.  Yesterday, we had a speaker at school (Stephanie, I didn't catch his name) and so many good nuggets to think on came from his talk.  One of these was this, "Every child, every situation passed through the Master's Hand before it got to you."  Think of that! Whoever you interact with, whatever situation arises in your life - He molded it, He arranged it.  It isn't trivial by any reckoning. How we relate to that child, that person, or that situation must be indeed very important as it has been arranged by the Father. The situation that makes us crabby or frustrated? What is God trying to refine in us? The person who exasperates us - what compassion, kindness or patience does God want us improve in its exercise? That situation that feels so utterly overwhelming? I'm pretty sure in my case that He's been teaching me to stop feeling so self-reliant and shed some layers of control-freak because when I admit to weakness, I get to see HIs amazing strength and love at work in ways that my "I got this" autonomy blinds me to.

It is critical to maintain awareness of that silent, always moving companion, Time, and how the Lord has arranged its inhabitants and circumstances along our path.

 “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” – Ephesians 5:15-17