The Gift of Time

Last night was our family’s traditional trip to Opryland in Nashville, TN. It’s such a calming experience to see so many Christmas lights while we walk with our hot drinks of coffee or hot chocolate. We go every year to see the lights and to watch the water show where they have water timed to the story of the birth of Christ.

We gather at the top of the hour, sit on hard concrete steps, or stand if there’s no room to sit. And, it’s a show that only lasts about 10 minutes. What gets me each time is hearing the story of Jesus with hundreds of strangers. We are not in church and yet the narrative starts, “And it came to pass…”

The story continues as the water gets higher, “And He shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Prince of Peace.” It’s powerful. The story ends, the water stops, and the lights go out. We all clap and somehow it seems a bit more like Christmas.

Being with my family makes it a bit more powerful, too. We take time each year to make this tradition happen. We take time for each other.

And, Jesus took time for us to come to this world to be with us! How fantastic! Our Lord and Savior gave us the gift of His time to be human, like we are, to show us how much He loves us.

The older I get the more I realize how much time is a gift and a showing of our love for one another. No matter how much time technology saves us, we seem to find a way to come up with more and more tasks to accomplish since technology saves us so much time.

Christmas seems to be a reset button for me. A time to recall where in life I need to slow down just a bit more. A time to be thankful for those in my life. A time to choose to love others with my time.

Where are you in this busy season of Christmas? To whom do you need to share your gift of time? Take time to breathe life into those around you just as Christ did over 2,000 years ago.

Merry Christmas!

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