Time
From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Mt 4:17)
I heard a story a long time ago that went like this:
The demons gathered together to discuss how they would steal souls. One demon came forward and said, “I will tell people that we do not exist.” The others thought this was a great idea. Another came forward and said, “I will tell people that hell does not exist.” The others applauded him for his ingenuity. A third one came forward and said, “I will tell people there is plenty of time.” With this all the demons jumped up ecstatic with his insights into the human psyche.
I remembered this story during a recent vacation I took with my family to see some national parks in Utah as well as the Grand Canyon. As with many people, God speaks to me through nature. When I gazed over the lookout at Bryce Canyon, I was amazed to see what weathering had done to the rocks and the beautiful and unique shapes I had never before seen. I thought about how patient God is in His creation and much time it took to create this beauty. Then I thought about my soul. God had given me such a marvelous gift and the only gift I can give Him is to give back my soul in a beautiful condition. Beauty takes time. I don’t have thousands or millions of years, so I need to make every moment count. How much do I pray every day? How well do I live the Beatitudes? How much honest self-reflection do I do before going to Confession? There is definitely room for improvement.
God wasn’t finished speaking with me yet and gave me an experience for further reflection. We planned a day trip to the Grand Canyon which is a little more than 2 ½ hours from St. George Utah. We put our destination into Garmin (old school I know but my phone doesn’t do audible commands when it is plugged into the charger) and off we went. We stopped for gas at Jacob’s Lake then continued on Highway 89 according to Garmin (and lack of signage on the Arizona highway). We went up and over a two-lane mountain road with no shoulder, no guardrail, and hairpin turns. I distinctly remember there were also no lights anywhere and wasn’t looking forward to the evening return trip. Then we descended to the desert floor and proceeded across it, every minute getting hotter and hotter. Finally my husband commented that we’d been on the road for 3 ½ hours and did I see any signs anywhere on the road? Sure enough, we had missed Highway 67 way back before the mountain. So back across the desert we went, up and over the mountain that I thankfully would not have to traverse at night, and finally after five hours of driving arrived at the Grand Canyon.
As an English major I appreciate a good metaphor and I think that’s why God picked this experience. We can easily take the wrong road in life. Sometimes we listen to the wrong people and sometimes we are so focused on where we want to go, convinced that we know better, that we miss the gentle urging of the Holy Spirit. Of course God allows U-turns in life, which means we can eventually arrive where He wants us to end up, but the further we persist in going “our way” the less time we have to appreciate the beauty of the destination. How much good do we neglect to do when we are doing things “our way”? How many times do we fail to see God showing us how much He loves us? How much heartache, worry, and general grumpiness can we avoid if we focus on doing His Will?
On the third breathtaking sunset God gave me on that trip, I stopped to say an Our Father. No agenda or prayer list of wants, just an Our Father to tell Him I loved Him and to be fully present to Him in that moment. As I immersed myself in Him, He responded by writing “I love you” in the sky.
