The Myth of Time

I wrote the following poem back in '08. When I looked it up to post it today, I was surprised
to see that it was three years old. Well, the slipping away of time is what the poem is about. Pause a moment and think about it.

The Myth of Time



Time is a myth we believe when we’re young

We believe that its all in our hands

We fancy ourselves having plenty of time

To pursue all our dreams and our plans

Time is a myth that young parents believe

They think they have plenty of days

Too busy to play with the children right now

Concentrating on getting them raised

Time is a myth we believe as we labor

Retirement is so far away

Too busy to notice the sun going down

And ability slipping away

Time is a myth old folks don’t believe

They know that they have it no more

The only time left is to look away back

And it’s gone like the tide from the shore

"Trouble Me Not"

"And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee." -- Luke 11:7

     Ok. I'm the kind of guy that it bothers to be "bothered." If you want to irritate me, just catch me busy with something and demand that I drop what I'm doing and take care of another task...now. My daughter even used to do a pretty good imitation of me. She'd pretend to be sitting at a desk and start moving her hands all over the "desk top" while saying, "Not now, I'm busy...I'm busy."
     In Luke 11, Jesus is teaching about prayer. His point is that if we keep asking and believing, that God will respond. I know I'm about to take the Scripture a bit out of text here, but please, bear with me. I was laying in my assigned place in the bed this evening (the middle, so I can have Rachel on one side and Jordan on the other) watching Shrek 2 for the eleventy-seventh time when the above portion of Scripture came to my mind.
It troubles me that there are only so many more of these moments. I want to look at life and say, "don't trouble me; don't demand for time to go on. Don't make kids grow up and get married and have my grandchildren and move them to Greenville."
     I know...I know. I know all about the will of God being that a man is to leave his parents and cleave unto his wife. I know that my son-in-law is answering a call upon his life that requires this move. I know what an important part of that calling my daughter is to his ministry (at this point, I may know that better than even she does.) I know from my own experiences in this very field. Been there. Done that. I understand and support them in this venture.
     But right now, while Shrek and Donkey try to rescue Fiona, don't trouble me with all of that. The door is now shut, and my (grand)children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. Just leave me alone for a little while...I'll be ok.