Time in a Bottle

With all the baby showers and planning, I had ample time to think back to my child-rearing days. I have six children and my "baby" is 30. So it has been a while.
Today Adrienne asked me if I could cook with Ian and Maran again this week. Of course, I said yes. It made me so happy that they asked if they could come again.
Still all of this and some things that are happening in the lives of my children and grandchildren brought back that song by Jim Croce, Time in a Bottle. I always thought it was love song written to his woman, but it was actually written by Jim to his son, Adrian,when he was a baby. It became a hit after Jim died in a tragic plane crash in 1973. His son, Adrian, became singer-songwriter, A.J.Croce.

"If I could save time in a bottle
The first thing that Id like to do
Is to save every day
Till eternity passes away
Just to spend them with you

If I could make days last forever
If words could make wishes come true
I'd save every day like a treasure and then,
Again, I would spend them with you

But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do
Once you find them
I've looked around enough to know
That you're the one I want to go
Through time with..."

"There never seems to be enough time to do the things you want to do once you find them."

We are all given the same hours in a day, but if I logged it carefully what would it really show? How much of it is about me? How much of my children's childhood was lost to me, because I was caught up in pursuit of dreams of a better life, an escape from victimization or poverty. How many were ungodly detours because I ran ahead of God?

A promise of restoration that I have often turned to is:
I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. And ye shall know that I [am] in the midst of Israel, and [that] I [am] the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed. Joel 2:25-27

Would I do things differently if I were raising my children today? You betcha! Do I believe that God can weave something beautiful out of my messes, yes, as I am willing to repent and surrender them to Him.

Christmas with Margie, Tom, Christopher and Emily along with the Ians and Marans and Austins that He has placed in my life are ways that He deals wondrously with me today.

Time can't be put in a bottle. So handle the time that you do have with care.