Calendars and Time

The school year is coming to an end. Soon the boys and girls will be enjoying their summer vacation. Teachers, too, by the way.  For years the school calendar played a decisive role in my own schedule.  My wife was a teacher, and of course our boys were in school. All of our plans revolved around the school calendar.

            Well, my boys are now grown men, and my wife has retired from teaching.  I try to be aware of the school calendar. I keep up with the activities of my granddaughters (one will be graduating from elementary school later this month). But the school calendar no longer dominates my days.  In fact, Tina and I are trying to plan a trip to the mountains sometime in the fall.

            Of course, the church calendar still plays a role in when I can go out of town. For instance, I will never take a vacation the week of Easter.  No self-respecting pastor would ever skip out on that week. And in our case, we can’t really take an anniversary trip. We got married on December 22.  Young and in love, it never occurred to us that an anniversary this close to Christmas would make it impossible to get away at that time.

The truth is, even if you are fully retired, you don’t operate on your own time frame all the time. There are doctor’s appointments, birthdays and graduations of grandchildren, and other events that call for your attendance. There is never a time when you are fully in charge of your own calendar.

            In fact, in James 4:15 we are reminded not to make any plans completely on our own. Rather we are to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”  The preacher, in Ecclesiastes 9:12, went even farther. “For man does not know his time.” And because we don’t know our time, we need to commit to live for the Lord every day.  Go ahead. Plan a vacation. But always be aware. Your time is in God’s hand.