We might think of patience as trust through time. And our perception of time changes as we grow older. Remember what this time of year felt like when you were a child? It seemed as though Christmas would never get here. Children live so much in the present moment that it’s hard to get them to understand the passage of time and the need to wait. As we get older, though, it seems as though time moves faster and faster. We look back on our teenage and young adult years and wonder when we found time to hang out with our friends, to play games (card, board, video—the medium changes but the pastime doesn’t). We might think it’s our work and family responsibilities, and that’s part of it, but even people who have retired say that they find it hard to find time for all that they want to do.
Only at the very end of our lives do we again find time hanging heavy around us. If infirmity and illness keep us from doing the things we love, the days may feel endless and the nights even more so. Instead of having to slow down, we need to remind ourselves that we’re in the perfect time and place for long and leisurely conversations with God.
— from the book Simple Gifts: Daily Reflections for Advent
by Diane M. Houdek