I Hear Church Bells

Not too long ago, the bus was parked next to a church building in Texas.  In this small town, one of the church's attractions and advertising tools was the electronic church bell sitting atop their auditorium.  At half past the hour, a chime would sound, and on the hour, the bell would sound to signal which hour we had arrived upon.  That would have been OK, maybe like a grandfather clock,  but after playing the hourly number, it proceeded to play a verse and chorus of a hymn!  

No matter where you were on the property or in its vicinity, no matter what stage of sleep you happened to be in, you could not escape the chimes of time.  The first day I thought, "what an annoyance!" Why in the world would they park us here next to this siren of a church bell for an entire week?!  But by day three, God had opened my eyes to a few lessons that made it a little more tolerable.  

1.  Time Never Stops

I know what you're thinking...that fact just BLEW. YOUR. MIND. Right?!  While this captain obvious statement is rather general, the fact is so under-considered by the American culture.  This generation has been accused of constantly living in the moment, but I believe that to be false!  Today's moments are so consumed with snapping photos of ourselves and events so that we can look back, that often we fail to genuinely enjoy the moment we are in!  Each half hour as that bell would ring, I was reminded that even when I became idle, time continued on.  The bell became a sudden transport to the very moment I was in; a realization that my tomorrow hinged on my choices in this moment. 

2.  Success And Failure Are Measured By Moments

At first this was depressing.  I'll never forget sitting in my make-shift office, hearing that church-bell ring and wondering if there was a glitch in the program.  Hadn't I JUST heard that bell only a few moments ago?  Had a half hour REALLY passed already? A glance at my watch revealed a depressing truth...another half hour had passed and I had done NOTHING.  Have you ever made it to the end of the day and wondered where the time went?  Maybe as you sit here and realize it's OCTOBER and the year we just started a few days ago is weeks away from a close.  Dwelling on this fact can definitely drive one into depression, until you begin to reevaluate how you spend your time.  Set your goals and evaluate your productivity moment by moment.  If you fail in one half hour segment, your day is not a failure, for the next moment may hold great progress.  Both positive and negative momentum are products of a series of small, measurable moments. 

3.  Timing Is Everything

If you fail to consider this point, you may jump the gun on some good opportunities to wait.  While tomorrow is not promised, and you never truly know what a moment may bring does not give you an out not to plan.  My great-grandpa always said, "plan your work, and work your plan."  This principle applies to every single aspect of life.  In order for my moments, resulting in my day, to be successful, I must have a general direction for where I am headed, and the time it will take me to get there.  If the purpose of my day is ill-defined, I will arrive at my destination every time.  Some opportunities take planning and strategizing; therefore each moment doubles as a celebration of "now" and a deliberation of what is to come.  A moment too soon, or a second too late can ultimately change your entire future. 

  "Remember WHEN?"  "Remember THAT TIME?"  Time serves as the foundation and vehicle for every move of life.  It's more valuable than gold, yet freely given.  How have you spent yours?