"FOREVER..."

Time.

It’s a funny thing.

It’s bendable.

Albert Einstein proved it with his Theory of Relativity.

No worries. I’m not going to launch into a dissertation discussion on physics here. No lengthy lecture on the puzzle of the space-time continuum. (Did anyone really think I COULD do that??)

After all, I’m not "science chick" – I’m "word girl!"

But think about it. We know from experience that time is "fluid."

First of all, think of the way time behaves. Sometimes it goes really slow…and sometimes it goes really fast.

Here’s a list of some of the instances when time goes really s-l-o-w:

Sitting in the dentist chair…for anything, but especially for a root canal.

Waiting for lab test results.

Waiting for a loved one to call and let you know they’ve landed safely.

Listening to over 500 kids have their names read at a high school graduation (except for that 10 seconds when YOUR kid’s name is read, and you let out your loudest parental "WOO HOO!")

Trying to drive home from Los Angeles on the 405 freeway at rush hour – (non-Californians out there? Trust me – a 55-mile trip has been known to take almost 3 hours – think, "parking lot.")

Sitting in a crowded restaurant waiting for a table.

Waiting for Christmas morning when you can finally open that ONE gift under the tree in the little "jewelry-type" box.

"The Hub" will just HAVE to forgive me on this one – a baseball game.

And here’s a list of some of the instances when time goes really fast:

When you have to leave the house in 10 minutes or you’re going to be really late.

How long it takes for your "roots" to start showing.

The year in between tax time – (seriously…is it already LESS than 3 months away???)

Your childrens’ lives from infancy until college – (though sometimes slow during the actual years – looking back, it goes by WAY too fast.)

The time it takes to spend money – (saving money goes in the s-l-o-w category.)

Vacation.

The interval between hitting the "snooze" button and when you actually have to wake up – (I just read somewhere that the average person hits the snooze button 3 times before they get up. Me – I’m about a 4 or 5’er.)

The time it takes for a signal to turn from yellow to red – ("Honestly, Officer – it looked kinda orange to me…just sayin")

Bendable time.

And today I’m thinking about the word "forever."

When I was a little girl, I used to try to understand the word "forever." After all, I knew I was going to live with Jesus "forever."

Truthfully, the concept used to freak me out. I’d lie awake trying to get my head around the idea. (Don’t ask me why – I’ve just always been a "ruminating" kind of person). At the time, a year seemed like a l-o-n-g time. And then, trying to go beyond that, and think of a never-ending time – yikes!

I can remember sneaking down the hallway, and crouching down by my mom’s side of the bed. I’d gently say her name, and maybe jostle her a little bit. Finally she’d wake up.

"Mom, I can’t sleep."

"Thinking about forever again, sweetie?"

Yup, she knew me…

I’ve got to admit, I still don’t get the idea of "forever" – it still kinda freaks me out – but now, it’s in a good way!

Have you ever had a moment when your spirit touched eternity?

When time seemed to stand still, and you were overcome with such a deep sense of wonder and joy that it felt like the moment could go on forever?

Let me tell you about one of mine.

"The Hub" and I had gone on a little 4-wheel excursion, up a very winding dirt road. We had heard about a property that was for sale. We couldn’t afford it, not by a long stretch, but the realtor had told us to go take a look.

"The view is to die for," she squealed.

So we did.

It took almost an hour to go 4 miles. We parked the car, and scrambled up a leafy, rocky slope.

At the top of the ridge, we wandered through a grove of aspen trees, and then we broke out into the open. And I saw one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen in my whole life.

A huge snow-capped mountain stood in front of me. A long, green valley stretched away as far as the eye could see. Trees stood like sentinels in every direction. Overhead was a crystal clear blue sky, with white puffy clouds. A bright, shining sun beamed down its warming rays.

I turned to my husband with tears in my eyes, and he said quietly, "I get it."

I spread my arms wide, threw my head back, and smiled at the God I knew was there.

"Thank you, Lord, for the glory of this moment. This taste of what eternal joy will feel like. I could live like this forever…"

And He whispered to my spirit, "You will."

When’s the last time your spirit touched eternity?

"Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end." (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

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