Lent: The Serenity Prayer: Lines 5 & 6: Time
We are now starting the longer part of the poem, what I would consider the practical part of the poem. These lines help me start to understand what I can change and what I can’t, and they help make possible the last thought I had in my previous blog (Lent: The Serenity Prayer: Lines 2-4):
“We have to be willing to listen for God to know what kind of situation we are in and to know our best path forward while also finding the peace we are looking for. One key point: God’s path is not always the easy path. Sometimes the path with the most inner peace at the end will be the hardest along the way.”
So, what are lines 5 and 6 in the prayer?
Living One Day at a Time
Enjoying One Moment at a Time
What is Time?
Time is a funny thing. We never seem to have enough of it, always wanting more, feeling rushed, and never seem to enjoy what we are doing with time. This is time that humans have managed from day and night measuring by the sun and putting it into calendars of years, months, days, hours, and minutes, and we end up scheduling ourselves in them.
But time comes from God. We say “in God’s time”, “God’s time is not ours” or how about “God’s timing is always perfect.” While I agree God has time which is not like ours, sometimes these sayings are more harmful than good.
The thing with time is we have chronological (Chronos) time, which is the time we as human have created by measurements. There is also Spiritual Opportunity (Kairos) time which is opportune moments for the spiritual to happen (God’s time). This doesn’t mean or imply what those previously mentioned sayings do (but that discussion is for another day).
What does all of this have to do with lines 5 and 6 of the prayer? Well, they are all about time.
When you think about living one day at a time and enjoying each moment, they sound similar. One is all about Chronos time and the other is Kairos.
Reading these chapters together, the fist thought I had was about the poem “The Dash” by Linda Ellis. The first time I heard it I was in awe. If you have not read it, you should. The poem is about the dash between the year you are born and the year you die on your head stone. Thinking about it, a dash then represent so much. We as people can get caught up in the past and future and not focus on the here and now. Hudson writes about this when focusing on line 6. He says, “the here and now is all we have” (64) and he writes about how “children live totally in the present.” (65)
If you live one day at a time, you are able to be in the dash looking at the present, focusing on the here and now for your life.
We all know that living day to day is not easy, but Hudson gives practical ways to help us. Start taking reviews of your days where you find time to review and find one moment for which you are most grateful, one where you were given or receive loved, and think about what gave you life. Then give God thanks for all you have remembered from your day. As you review your day, ponder what you are least thankful for, what drained you, and where love was missing. Take time to acknowledge feelings around these moments and turn it all over to God. As you learn to do these things you learn about yourself and learn where you can change or not change things in life.
As you are learning to live one day at a time-moment by moment-you can see you are living here and now, or as Hudson points out, “experience our lives as ‘nowhere’ or as ‘now here.’” (65) He is explaining that when you are now here you focus on the present, not the past and/or future. Guess why the line “children live totally in the present” is so important. Jesus tells us to come to him as a child. Be living in the present. Opportunity (Kairos) time happens in the present. We will miss it if we are living in the past or what will be (future).
We want to create space for the present and to enjoy it so God has the opportunity to meet us in those moments.
As I was reading, I thought about the beginning of the pandemic. The world slowed down. It was beautiful. People cooked bread, spent time with family, and I heard so many God moments happening in people’s lives. I remember thinking, “I hope we can learn and keep this slower pace so we can enjoy each other.” HAHAHA
I think we are faster than before. SO sad. We need to learn to re capture the slow down so we can enjoy every moment, finding peace and meeting God.
When you live day to day, slow down and enjoy moments, having opportunities to be with God, you will give space to hear and feel God’s peace.
The important thing with time is each day is a new day to live. We can mess up, find something positive, learn from our mistakes, and find a new moment to offer and hope to meet God.
The Dash Poem By: Linda Ellis https://lindaellis.life/the-dash-poem
