Free time
April 30, 2021
I heard a comedian recently talking about how much he enjoys free time. While performing a stand-up routine onstage (pre-pandemic), he spoke about the pure joy that comes from plans being canceled, as if time that was not supposed to be “free” but became free is better than a planned day off. Maybe a simpler way of putting it is that unexpected freedom is better than expected freedom. A snow day is better than the average Saturday or observed holiday. Why is that? Because it’s a gift.
We’re the same with all gifts for the most part. I’m typing this on my computer right now and could open a new tab, go to a certain website, and buy tickets to a Major League baseball game right now if I wanted to do so. But there would be much more joy in the moment if someone surprised me with tickets unexpectedly.
Time is the most valuable commodity in the world, in my opinion, and we seem to only realize it when one of a few things happen. We realize it when we experience the loss of a loved one or someone who is deemed “too young to die.” We either feel that our time with another was cut short or that the deceased person deserved more time. But the other times we tend to realize it are when the opposite happens. We appreciate time when it’s gifted to us. When someone says, “Take the day off,” or “Don’t worry about that thing we planned.” Something is taken away, but in return we are gifted the most precious thing in the world: free time. Extra time. Time to ourselves.
Over the course of the past year, we have reflected on how we spend our time. We’ve been reminded that our time could be cut short, but also that when we slow down, pause, and take a moment to look around, that we have as much time as anyone could want. We have right now.
As followers of Jesus, sometimes we need to be reminded of this. We get concerned with the big picture, the problems of the world, the possibilities of the future, and we should be concerned. But not at the expense of the moment.
Jesus knew what road lied ahead. He knew what was in store for him and that it was coming soon. That didn’t stop him from stopping from town to town, meeting with person after person, including people who the religious folk said weren’t worth his precious time. He served. He cared. He loved. Sometimes that love means giving all we have. So, give someone your time this week. And witness what is a precious, welcome, and truly meaningful gift.
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