Filling the Gap Between Today and Eternity

Kairos.  The right or opportune time.  In the New Testament it means the appointed time in the purpose of God. To me, it's a kiss from God that comes out of nowhere.

Kronos. Chronological time. Our time here on this earth. Our 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Living breathing dying time.

How can we keep an eternal perspective yet focus on today? On right now? How can we find the kairos in the middle of the kronos? I'm still trying to figure this one out, but I think I've found part of the answer.

If our goal, our finish line, is not eternity, our kairos will be lost.

As soon as our perspective shifts from Eternity to kronos, we lose sight of the kairos. We may still get a kiss here and there but we are not experiencing the authenticity of the time we've been given. Our focus is on something that will pass and we worry and rush and freak out a little bit because we're trying to grasp at things that will fade. If our goal is always the next big thing, we'll miss out on the kairos.

We can even get caught up in trying to create our own kairos. But they're not the real deal. We can certainly create an environment for a God kiss. We can take our family on a vacation, take our spouse on a romantic date, go to a retreat or conference. But those still aren't kairos.

When the finish line that we strive for is standing face to face with Jesus Christ, our kronos is not wasted and we are kissed by God.

We are given kairos.

We recognize kairos because we are seeing life through the eyes of God. We notice a kiss from our babies. We notice someone who needs help. We notice the sunsets and the strolls on the sand. The salty air whipping our hair around. The sound of each wave crashing and then making its way up the shore. We embrace each time our child grabs our hand because we realize it's a kiss from God.

We don't live for them or try to create them. We can't. They're gifts from the almighty. Kisses from God.

So I'm learning. I'm growing. I'm trying to embrace how God wants my story to be written and not so much about how I want it to unfold. If I commit my kronos to Him, He gives me kairos. The amazing thing is, the more I give to him, the more he gives to me. Sowing and reaping. It works with our time too. Sow kronos, reap kairos.

And that's what I want. I want kairos from Him, not something I've manipulated.

How can you start giving more of your time to God so that he can give you more kairos?