Calling Time

LORD, I HAVE TIME (Michel Quoist)

"Abbe Michel Quoist All men complain that they haven't enough time. They look at their lives from too human a point of view. There is always time to do what God wants us to do, but we must put ourselves completely into each moment that he offers us.

I went out, Lord.
People were coming and going,
Walking and running.

Everything was rushing:
Cars, trucks, the street, the whole town.
People were rushing not to waste time.
They were rushing after time,
To catch up with time.
To gain time.

Good-bye, Sir, excuse me, I haven't time.
I'll come back. I can't wait. I haven't time.
I must end this letter--I haven't time.
I'd love to help you, but I haven't time.
I can't accept, having no time.
I can't think, I can't read, I'm swamped, I haven't time.
I'd like to pray, but I haven't time.

You understand, Lord,
They simply haven't the time.
The child is playing,
He hasn't time right now...Later on...
The schoolboy has his homework to do,
He hasn't time...Later on...
The student has his courses,
And so much work...Later on...
The young married man has his new house;
He has to fix it up...He hasn't time...Later on...
The grandparents have their grandchildren.
They haven't time...Later on...
They are ill, they have their treatments,
They haven't time...Later on...
They are dying, they have no...
Too late!...They have no more time!

And so all people run after time, Lord.
They pass through life running--
Hurried, jostled, overburdened, frantic,
And they never get there. They haven't time.
In spite of all their efforts
They're still short of time,
Of a great deal of time.
Lord, you must have made a mistake in your calculations,
There is a big mistake somewhere.
The hours are too short.
Our lives are too short.

You who are beyond time, Lord,
You smile to see us fighting it.
And you know what you are doing.
You make no mistakes in your distribution of time to men.
You give each one time to do what you want him to do.
But we must not lose time,
waste time,
kill time,
For it is a gift that you give us,
But a perishable gift,
A gift that does not keep.

Lord, I have time,
I have plenty of time,
All the time that you give me,
The years of my life,
The days of my life,
The days of my years,
The hours of my days,
They are all mine.
Mine to fill, quietly, calmly,
But to fill completely, up to the brim,
To offer them to you, that of their insipid water
You may make a rich wine
Such as you made once in Cana of Galilee.
I am not asking you tonight, Lord,
For time to do this and then that,
But for your grace to do conscientiously,
In the time that you give me,
What you want me to do."

(From "Prayers of Life")

I loved this prayer when I first discovered it as a new Christian, ages ago.  It has come back to haunt me in the last few days.  I am a "hurry up" person. I was a hyperactive child who crashed and burned by 3pm and who probably drove mum to distraction - dad, well he is still an active person well into his 80s.  I've just finished shouting Happy Birthday down the phone to him! I find that what I am learning is I do have time, for the important things - Just that I have to make sure I allocate it!!! And that's really hard.  Prayer - I need a long walk first or I can't sit still- I walk and think and thank, Bible reading - ditto. (beyond the usual morning pray/bible snack breakfast!) Phoning friends/writing blogs - ditto! That's where costa was in my life - a whole hour over one coffee meant I could sit, read and think before running around doing things.

So, as I found it extremely hard to be up and about this morning- the quiet was getting to me - I had another walk.  I'm reading Simon Barnes, "A bad birdwatchers Companion" such a lovely, gentle "comfort food" book.  I am sure I used to have his "Birdwatching with your eyes closed"  but this may have been a library book or someone has borrowed it.  Birding for me is much easier with ears than eyes - today's haul is: bluetit, blackbird, magpie, song thrush, green woodpecker, jay, rook and robin, although the only ones I saw were blackbirds and magpies.  Highly recommendable books!

Another lovely comfort food is radio 4 "Open Country" for the early birds: today was Helen Glover (of rowing fame) and Steve Backshall talking about the birds and wildlife in their garden.  An egyptian goose called "Algebra"? You have to listen!

And for a rather more sobering and truly prophetic watch - I missed it in 2018 but watched on catchup - and this is why we get the constant refrain of "wash your hands/stay home" - is BBC Four's Pandemic.  This was a mathematical modelling exercise with Dr Hannah Fry - looking at the ease with which a "virtual" pandemic flu spreads. If you don't start shouting at your laptop that the government should have listened by the end of it then you are a better, calmer and more loving person than me!