Time is Fleeting

Summer has a funny way of making you feel like you have more time than you actually do.

The mornings don’t have to start before sunrise. The evenings stretch longer. There’s no school-night panic, no bookbags to check, no bedtime routine breathing down everyone’s neck.

A Tuesday can start to feel a lot like a Sunday.

Calmer.

Unplanned.

A little less urgent.

But slower does not always mean less busy.

And it definitely does not always mean less full.

This week, I have plenty that needs to be done. Camp is coming. Lists are forming. Things need to be packed, bought, washed, printed, planned, confirmed, and remembered.

And yet, today there we were… sitting on the dock.

At 6:00.

Then 7:00.

Then 8:00.

The river water was low, slow, and peaceful. The teenager was content to nap on the dock without friends and the music choice was singing summer memories from years past. The evening was easy. The Memorial Day company has gone, but plenty of no-plan-necessary leftovers remain... no one is rushing. And in my mind, there was still “time.”

Time to get to the list.
Time to write this post.
Time to do the things I knew needed doing before tomorrow's photoshoot or camp next week. 

It's tricky. Sometimes procrastination is pure avoidance. And sometimes it’s simply being present in a moment that matters.

But either way, midnight still comes. And here I am, up past midnight, cutting into tomorrow’s productivity and purpose because I thought I had more time than I did. But honestly? I don’t regret the dock.

If there is one thing I know how to do, it is wait until the last possible minute and then act a little surprised when the last possible minute arrives. 

The people I knew were coming are suddenly three hours away, and I’m standing in the middle of the house, wondering how every room got messy at the exact same time.

The photo session that has been on the calendar for months somehow turns into the night-before scramble of charging batteries, clearing memory cards, and looking for the flash I know I put somewhere safe.

And now, apparently, I’m doing it with summer.

Because summer feels wide open until it isn’t. The calendar looks empty and ready for a break until it isn't. That week where I keep saying I'll get around to it then... never arrives because when we get there... it is no longer wide open. SO, the big projects stay on the back burner while I rush to prepare for tomorrow what I knew about yesterday.... and still take advantage of the dock while watching the summer make its debut for the year. 

We live like there will always be more time.... 

until there isn’t.

Scripture says:

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
— Psalm 90:12

That verse doesn’t say panic over your days. It says number them. Pay attention. It shouldn't feel like pressure.... but perspective. God isn't telling us to start a countdown and get busy.. He is reminding us that our time here is transient and that He is eternal and sovereign, and to make the most of our time in light of our mortality.... It is not the busy that receives a crown of glory in the end... it is the intentional. The checklists need to be done, sure... but they aren't going to matter more than the relationships with creation and recognition of the creator!

Paul says:

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity…”
— Ephesians 5:15–16

Making the most of every opportunity does not always mean being productive every second. 

Sometimes the wise thing is to sit on the dock.

Sometimes the holy thing is to let the evening breathe.

Sometimes, the thing you will remember later is not the crossed-off list, but the warmth of the sun and way the water glistened while your people were gathered close to it.

But verse 17 also warns us not to be foolish, and to understand... Wisdom also knows when it is time to get up and do the thing.

That’s the balance I’m still learning.

I don’t want to live in a constant last-minute sprint.

I don’t want the important things in my life — relationships, obedience, prayer, preparation, calling — to be the things I say I’ll get to later. Because later is not guaranteed.

And while grace covers unfinished lists, wisdom helps us not ignore what God has already placed in front of us.

So maybe this is my very late-night Tuesday (early Wednesday) reminder to myself:

Enjoy the dock. But don’t forget the assignment.

Rest when it’s time to rest.
Be present when the moment matters.
But when God has placed something in front of you to do, take the next faithful step. Trust that the timing is in His hands.... but the great commission is in ours, because he placed it there.... and there usually is time.... Until there isn’t.

Where are you being invited to pay closer attention to your time — not with panic, but with wisdom? When have you missed the dock for the list, and where have the lists taken you away from the real purpose of our time? 

Lord, thank You for slow evenings, full seasons, and the gift of time. Help me know when to rest and when to rise. Teach me to be present without becoming careless, and productive without becoming frantic. Give me wisdom to make the most of the days You have given me, rest in the moments, and courage to take the next faithful step where You have called me. Amen.

Until next time, keep following the Plott, and I will be praying for us all. 💛