Yesterday I was sitting in church for my great-grandmother’s 86th birthday celebration. It was quite the momentous occasion that brought family members together from near and far. Although there were a number of memorable moments that stood out to me I was most intrigued by the sermon delivered. My great-grandmother grew up in a Baptist church and often their services would last hours. So, when they introduced the minister I realized it was the same Baptist Reverend that my great-grandmother listened to in her early adult life. For a moment I did a facepalm and wondered how long service would take and if we’d still be in church as the sun was setting. To my surprise, I was in for a treat.
The Reverend titled his message “Time”.
As my eyes locked to the front of the church and my ears listened intently there were two things from the sermon that stood out to me. First, he said “there is a time for everything, there is a time for every purpose” and as he continued he expounded on that statement by saying “you better do what you can, while you can”. It doesn’t seem like much, but as he kept ministering there was something that came to me. Often times we take the essence of time for granted. Upon church, I dug into the definition of time and this is what I came up with:
- Time is the indefinite continued progress of existence
- Time can be measured by seconds, minutes, hours and days
- Time can be used to plan, arrange, and schedule things
- Time can be measured when a person is completing an activity
Thinking about time in relation to our time here on earth can be daunting. I don’t want to think about the amount of time I have left on earth it seems morbid. However, my thoughts toward that changed when I watched Hope Springs Eternal on Netflix before bed. The synopsis of the movie is that there is a teenage girl who has terminal cancer who stopped living and was preparing to die until she received news that her cancer was in remission. She liked the idea of dying because of the attention and pity she received. However, it wasn’t until the end of the movie that she realized living is a privilege especially since one of her dear friends was dying of cancer.
Oddly enough, I wrote the previous excerpt in November following my great-grandmother’s birthday. I intended to publish this blog right after I wrote it, but in my mind, I had time there was no rush. It is now January 23, 2019, and I finally decided to publish this piece. Little did I know that I’d lose my grandfather on December 16, 2018, who was an avid reader and supporter of my blog. Shortly after his passing, I lost my great-grandmother on January 10, 2019, which was the woman who inspired this post.
After this experience, I realized time is truly precious. Don’t wait to share your gifts and talents with those you love. I’ve made excuses on why I don’t write and why I don’t use my gifts. Losing two prominent people in my life made me analyze their life and legacy. My grandfather lived out his purpose and did what he was called to do as did my great-grandmother. Now it is my time to walk in my purpose and my destiny. Will you?
A Peace of Ty 