Sometimes All We Need Is Time

We own an old book called Time for the White Egret by Natalie Savage Carlson. In the book the main character, a cattle egret, searches for a cow to call his very own, a cow that will use her hoofs to stir up insects for him to eat and spend time with him in the field, but no cows are currently available. A pregnant mama cow sees his plight and says, “I already have two egrets…and you have no cow. But time will take care of that.” The little egret does not want to wait, so goes on the hunt for time. He meets a truck and a dog and a deer running wildly to escape the dog. The deer has no time, because she’s being chased by the dog, and the dog has no time, because he’s chasing the deer. In the end, the cattle egret returns to his field, and discovers that while he was away time brought him a calf. Time for the White Egret is a sweet story that I could read over and over again.

I started teaching in February, and since then time has raced by. When all my new duties made life seem unbearably hectic, I reminded myself that summer would come soon. Now, we only have one more week of school and then we’re done for the school year. Summer is just around the corner. Those ‘soons’ have almost turned into ‘nows’. I still need to give a General Science test, take down the pictures that line my walls, and pack up all the books I brought from home, but after all that life will return to a rambling pace and I’ll be able to sit calmly in our yard and drink an espresso with cream and maple syrup while the kids romp and play.

I’m also sad that the school year is ending. I have a feeling that after a little resting and rambling I’ll start to miss my students and fellow teachers. I thrive in the presence of people–too much alone time makes me feel lost. (Don’t be alarmed if you receive a desperate call from me this summer to please come over and talk to me as soon as you can.) I’m looking forward to visiting the cabin and visiting friends that I don’t get to see as often as I’d like during the school year. Summer will also give me time to plan some lessons for next year and buy all the materials I need for labs.

Time reminds me of the tide. They both ebb and flow at their own pace, regardless of how I feel. I might plead with them both to stop or at least slow down, but they won’t. This is how God designed the world in which we live, and it is good. He made times of feasting and times of fasting, times of busyness and times of rest, time for school and time for summer break. The older I get, the more realize how much I fight against this ebb and flow despite how good I know it is for me.

Sometimes the vastness of time scares me. I have trouble believing I’m 35 years old, and yet this is still a small fraction of the amount of time that has passed so far in the history of the world. Someday I’m going to live forever with the Lord in the new heavens and the new earth. Forever is something I cannot even fathom, but somehow 35 years still seems long (and also short). Time is hard to figure out, and the older I get, the more I realize this.

In The Bark of the Bog Owl by Jonathan Rogers, Bayard the Truthspeaker (a prophet) reminds Aidan (the future king) to “live the life that unfolds before you.” This is a uniquely Christian idea. We cannot live our lives for the glory of God unless we live in the moments in which he places us. If we’re too busy thinking about the past or the future, we’ll miss what God’s will for us is in the present.

Is time even worth considering? Yes, and no. We must do what we can with the time God gives us. This involves planning our time well, paying attention to what’s happening around us, and trusting God whether or not our plans come to fruition. We can, however, put ourselves in danger of overthinking time, especially the future. What if this happens? What if that happens? Or even the past: Why did I say that? If only I’d said this instead! I like what Sandra McCracken says in her song “In Feast or Fallow”: “In the harvest feast, or the fallow ground, my certain hope is in Jesus found. My life, my cup, my portion sure, whatever comes we shall endure, whatever comes we shall endure.” Jesus is our sure and steadfast hope. In all seasons and in all times, he is with us, writing our stories and taking care of us. He made us and he loves, and regardless of time, he is with us.

After visiting with the dog and the deer, the little cattle egret meets an alligator, a manatee, and a heron before returning to the field. The alligator has plenty of time–he’s just wallowing in the swamp. The manatee can’t help him, because she’s not a land cow, but a sea cow. The heron is fishing and of course has no time to spare. Fish are fast-swimming creatures. When the egret finally returns to the field after his long search, he finds the mama cow and her calf grazing under a sweetgum tree. The story continues, “The white egret was delighted with the little brown calf. There was only one thing wrong with her. ‘She is so little,’ said the white egret. ‘Her hoofs are small and she doesn’t eat grass, so she won’t stir up many insects. I wish she were a big cow like you.’ ‘Time will take care of that,’ answered the brown cow.” That mama cow is right. Sometimes all we need is time.

Photo: HAN Mengqi on Unsplash