Time

Sunday's Column...Today

I remember holding a chubby baby yesterday. Or at least it seems like yesterday. He had some fuzz on his head that reminded me of a peach. His eyes were blue like water in a lake. I would touch his soft forearm and softer cheek. His laughter and smile made me laugh and smile. I wondered what his voice would sound like when he began to talk. I wondered what his personality would be like when he matured. 

It doesn’t seem possible, but in just two weeks we will be dropping the boys off at their respective schools. We just picked them up from the last day of school yesterday. Or at least it seems like yesterday. They won’t be allowed to stay up late and sleep in. No more lazy afternoons at the pool. No more early morning runs at Platte River State Park for Benjamin and me. Spelling tests, soccer practices, and schedules too full will be the order of the season.

The Greeks have two words for time: xρόνος (khronos) and καιρός (kairos). The former has to do with calendars and clocks. We can’t do anything about khronos. Nothing. It is predictable and relentless. Kairos is different. It is a moment or a season when something special happens. Kairos has to do with quality. 

The sun will set tonight and rise again tomorrow. That is the khronos. The sands passing through the hourglass. The tick of the clock. The turning of the calendar. It’s going to happen whether I like it or not. 

When I get home this afternoon or early this evening, one of the people I’ll be greeted by is a six-year-old boy. His eyes will be filled with excitement and I’ll receive a challenge to play Mario Cart or an invitation to go swimming. Hopefully I’ll be able to be his dad and nothing else. Not having a care in the world besides loving him and being loved by him. If David and I can pull if off – it’s kairos – the moment when something special happens. Otherwise it is just khronos – each individual sand passing through the hourglass. 

John the Baptist was speaking in Mark 1:15 – “The time promised by God has come at last!” He didn’t use the word khronos. He used kairos. 

Sometimes I feel life is passing by too fast. And then I remember God’s promise of kairos. Life isn’t about the number of years we live, but the life that exists in those years. So take time today to create those special moments that will never happen again. Enjoy God’s sacred and blessed gift of kairos. 

The best is yet to come… 

Craig