Midweek Encouragement - "The Time/Space Continuum"

"The Time/Space Continuum”

 ^{If you missed last week’s PD’s Mid-Week Encouragement, it was because I was on vacation at Camp YoliJwa’s Family Camp Week at Doubling Gap Center (check out their website at www.campyolijwa.org). Family Camp is a great opportunity for we pastoral-type people to be spiritually nourished while we spend time away with our family members and not have many pastoral duties.}

         ^{This year my wife and I borrowed a friends camper/trailer and stayed in “Campity,” a form of campground that included ten other recreational vehicles. At Family Camp, other families can sleep in hotel style rooms, in the main lodge, or in one of the newer cabins that are located on the other side of the lake.}

         ^{I was walking from the shower room on Friday morning when a fellow pastor said, “Wow! Where did this week go? I feel like we just got here and the week is over already!”}

         ^{And I asked that age-old question in response, “Why does vacation time seem to go so quickly and time at work seems to drag on seemingly forever?” The space/time continuum!}

         ^{When you’re on vacation, does it feel like you just arrived at the beach and it’s already time to leave? A recent article in the Journal of Consumer Psychology says that our brains really do perceive time as moving faster during certain activities. However, just like the old saying “time flies when you’re having fun,” researchers from The Ohio State University say it only applies to positive events.}

         ^{Researchers looked at how people perceive time when they’re anticipating the arrival of either a positive or negative event. For positive events, like an upcoming vacation, researchers say most of us feel like that activity is farther away than it really is. For instance, your trip to Hawaii may be a week away, but to you, it feels like a month away. Researchers also found that most people feel that happy events like a vacation last for a much shorter time than unhappy events.}

         ^{On the other hand, researchers discovered that negative events have the complete opposite effect on our brains. If you’re not looking forward to some unpleasant activity, like a dreaded work meeting, you feel like that meeting will begin any minute. And you also feel that time passes much more slowly in that meeting.}

         ^{Have you, like me, said, “Vacation’s over already? I just got here!”? If so, you were probably expecting that vacation to be super fun. When we expect to have a great weekend, it never feels like it’ll get here and, when it does, it feels like time flew! 46% of us who get ready for a much anticipated vacation feel that it just flies by.}

         ^{God, on the other hand, doesn’t have this problem. The apostle Peter wrote, “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day” (2 Peter 3:8 NIV). Why? Because God lives in the moment . . . something I’m trying to do more each day. God doesn’t wear a Rolex or even a Timex on His wrist. He doesn’t cross days off a calendar that hangs on His office wall as He anticipates His next event. He lives in the now. But how can WE do that?}

^{1. First, pay attention to the small things around you. Be thankful for them. Live for the moment and take notice of the small things. Try not to take leaps ahead in your mind but live in the now.}

^{2. Second, consider the needs of others. The next time you see someone walking in the rain, offer them your umbrella. That stranded motorist? Call for help. The elderly lady struggling with her groceries? Carry them for her. One of the easiest lessons for how to live in the moment is to do something for someone else without expecting anything in return. It not only helps you live in the moment, but improves that moment for you and someone else.}

^{3. Don’t worry. I know. That’s much harder than it sounds, but try to remember that worrying today won’t change what happens tomorrow. Every second you spend in worry about the future is a second of the present wasted. Because worrying takes you out of this moment and transports you into the realm of future possibilities, it's impossible to live in the moment and worry at the same time.}

         ^{If your vacation felt like it flew by this summer, consider life from God’s perspective. And if you’re a Christ-follower, you’ll be enjoying thousand-year vacations in the not-to-distant future.}

^{Living in the moment,}

^

^{Pastor Dale}

Pastor Dale (PD) and Pamela his wife are honored to serve the Mt. Laurel Church of God. If this Mid-Week Encouragement has helped you, perhaps it may encourage someone else. Feel free to share this message with anyone you choose. And if you'd like to receive PD's Mid-Week Encouragement, just send an email to (kingdomguy@gmail.com) and I'll accommodate your request.