February's the shortest month. And from what I hear about the weather we may expect, we might well be thankful for its fewer days than the other months of the year. But time doesn't seem to work that way, does it? If we're enjoying ourselves, or if we've too much to do, it goes fast; but if we're not, it drags, whatever the weather.
Just after Christmas I spent a week with my parents. Towards the end my father said that he just didn't know where the time had gone. Time just raced by, with news to share, presents to exchange, enjoyment of one another's company. And once I'd got back from holiday to a desk piled high with work, it's carried on that way.
At the other extreme, you, like me, may have occasions in your life when the clock is on strike; when sorrow or pain or loneliness or boredom stretches you out unmercifully on time's rack. Somewhere round four o'clock in the morning can be the worst, when all our anxieties or our regrets queue up to torment us.
Mostly, I'm thankful to say, we're somewhere between these two extremes, with an even flow of time enough - if only just - to work and rest, to care for others and to enjoy ourselves. But what can we do to keep our balance in the river of time, so that we can use time rather than it using us?
Like us, Jesus must have been faced with such questions. We know nothing about his life growing up to the age of about thirty. But once he became known as a preacher and healer, the use of his time must have become a serious issue. For three years his work went on non-stop: on the road all the time from village to village, dealing with the demands of the crowds, the hostility of the authorities or the questioning of his disciples. Yet if we look at how he handled the demands placed on his time, we see little slots of time that were his own; time early in the morning or late at night when he went away from his friends, taking time on his own to pray and be refreshed.
This, of course, is harder for some of us than others. I understand that the parents of small children may only be able to count on a minute or two to themselves, even with a closed bathroom door, before the next wail. And people in paid employment, who are expected to come in early and leave late just in order to keep on top of their work and then have all their household chores to tackle, can be forgiven for thinking of food and sleep as their chief non-work priorities. Yet when we find a few moments morning and evening, first to offer the day to God, then to reflect on where we have found God at work, the energy that discipline provides helps us to use the rest of our time productively.
That's all very well for the no-timers, you may be thinking: what about those whose problem is far too much time on their hands? To you I offer a heartfelt plea: please pray! Bring before God the harried nurses in the ward; the frenzied motorists rushing past the house; the politicians on the news; friends and relations whose difficulties you know; our church, needing God's guidance. And if you make a habit of prayer, you will be richly rewarded; for resting in God's presence is the best use of time I know.