H
ow we think about time says a lot
about us. Most of us probably feel that
there is not enough time in the day to
get to everything that needs doing.
We constantly rush to catch up, and then look
forward to some distant future when we will have
more time on our hands.
Cultures around the world view and relate to time
differently. In many parts of the world, time is not so
much the minutes or hours on the clock, but a gift to be
handled gently and reverently.
As foreigners, when we enter cultures where time
is approached differently, we can find ourselves strug-
gling. When things start late or last longer than ex-
pected, when people don't show up as planned or plans
change unexpectedly, we become uncomfortable and
might react ungraciously. I know I have.
I remember being in a friend's wedding in Kenya. We
traveled to the rural home for the ceremony. I arose ear-
ly on the day of the wedding to get ready. To my dismay,
as the wedding hour approached, the bride and most
of the family members were far from ready. I asked my
friend why she wasn't hurrying. Her response was the
first of many lessons I learned about time: "This is a
day of celebration. People have traveled from far to be
together. The whole day is the wedding, not just the cer-
emony. There is no need to rush."
The problem with time is not that there is not enough
of it; it's that we don't know how to enjoy what we have.
We rush through the moments of our lives at such a fast
pace that our experiences are rushed and fleeting. We
can be left feeling deeply unsatisfied in our inner selves.
In almost 30 years overseas, I cannot remember a
single experience where anyone did not have time for
me. Relationships came before the clock, every time.
How many of us have brushed someone off because
we were in a hurry? We have no idea what opportuni-
ties we miss because we are busy trying to get some-
where else.
We have a God who made time. I am certainly glad
He always has time for me.
"There is a time for everything." (Ecclesiastes 3:1).
In Focus
............
Time for everything!
(S
IXTH IN THE
S
ERIES
)
APRIL FOSTER
is director of Others � Trade
for Hope (www.tradeforhope.com). In this series
she shares lessons learned from her 29 years in
overseas ministry.
39
The War Cry | JANUARY 2016
Walk
Far
by
APRIL JOY FOSTER
"If you want to walk fast,
walk alone.
If you want to walk far,
walk with others"
--AFRICAN PROVERB
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