Finding Kairos in Our Kronos

The Bible talks about two kinds of time, kronos and kairos.  Kronos is the kind of time that we normally function in, as in "I have 13 minutes to get to work or I will be late."  And, "If I add one more thing to my calendar I won't have any more time for my family."

Kairos is God's time. When Jesus come proclaiming that the kingdom has come near, He is talking kairos.

It is becoming more and more apparent to me that kairos should define kronos.

If we are living in God's kingdom, then how we plan out our days and what we commit ourselves to depends on what will serve to usher in the kingdom of God.

I write this now because here in Rhode Island school starts Thursday and the frantic pace is already beginning to start up.

Too often we don't plan our time and evaluate our priorities.  We let the tides of time push us along and get us involved in too many activities.

A woman came to me one day with a problem.  She had a grandchild who needed care and she said there was no way that she could do one more thing than she was doing already.

I said to her that she was right, but before she made a decision about what to do about the child she needed to sit down and look at everything that occupied her time and figure out what she was really being called to do.

Have you ever had that feeling?  "I just can't do one more thing?"  Then it is time to sit down and look at the way you budget your time.  What is uplifting for your family and beneficial to your communities?  What serves the kingdom and what can you do without?

As fall begins and the pace picks up, sit down alone and then together with your family.  Evaluate what you are involved in and decide what is important for your life. 

One thing I have budgeted more time for is prayer and meditation. I have found that I am calmer and more organized and it gives me more time in my day when spend that time in silence with God.

This sounds like dangerous advice for a pastor who is always looking for people to do things in the church.  But the essential things will still happen.  And if every committee doesn't, it may mean that are not essential to the kingdom.

The kingdom is here and we have been called into it.

Lord,
Everything we have comes from you, even the days and the hours.  Help us to use our time and to give it generously to serve your people and live in your kingdom.
Amen.


Copyright (c) 2003, The Rev. Dana Reardon. Used by permission.