Masaa

During my graduation from AIU early last month, a very dear person to me recently gave me a wrist watch. There are not many people who fancy wrist watches anymore largely  because of alternative means of knowing what time it is. Interestingly, like all things fashion watches have made a comeback and are apparently now a must have accessory [alongside a belt, leather shoes and a wallet as we were told in a recent MTC]. 

But I am sure Rhodah had more than an accessory in mind. They say [I wonder who ‘they’ are?] that in gift giving, it is the thought that matters. She must have thought about the symbolism of the watch before gifting it to me. Instead of asking her, I have been thinking about it and drawing quite some lessons. 

1.       Time is important. We are defined by our attitude towards God, Others, Money, Time and Self. I needed a constant reminder that time is important and it is all we’ve got in life actually. I come from a background that views time as a variable dynamic and not a static reality. I can easily think of events as fluid things that roll on rather than time-bound happenings that have a definite start and stop.

2.       Time is Life. Basically, this is to say that life is demarcated in units of time with a clear start at birth and a definite stop at death. Someone said that we live every day in denial of the reality of death but Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians that we carry death with us all day long. As a clock ticks away every second, a portion of our life is gone. Forever. Never to be lived through again. For good. This is a scary lesson – but I hope the point is not lost that we are momentary beings – only here for a season and soon we are gone. We have to make the most of now.

3.       Relationships are important. Perhaps that might come across as a stretch of my watch analogy but give me a chance to elucidate [I have always wanted to use that word but never got a chance]. In parenting, we are told that love is a four letter word spelled as t.i.m.e. That can seem mostly true for children but I suggest we spend time with whomever we love in any shade or expression of it. When we mismanage time we risk ruining relationships – and nothing makes us more human and dare I say, like God, than our capacity for relationships. Relationships take time. That can sound as if relationships consume time or they just take long to thrive but either way, the fodder of any relationship is time together – be it in prayer, watching a movie, taking a walk, studying or doing anything else of value.

4.       Time is money. Those old words may sound a bit overly capitalistic and as if money is everything. But I suppose the idea behind the words is to communicate the value or preciousness of time. I guess the words come from an understanding that if any money is to be made, it must take time and that perhaps we should view time more or less in the same way as we view money; precious, limited, important and to be handled wisely and carefully.

So here we are in the month of August. Another cycle is coming to an end – what seemed to be so far out sight for you is now at hand. You have come to the end of your apprenticeship in iServe Africa and next week we meet to take stock. Another team will be coming on board and to them maybe August 2017 seems way too far but trust me it won’t be long. Every time the clock ticks, a moment is gone and soon the year will be over. The big question then remains – what have you done/will you do with the time in your hands?