Anna, a prophet, was also there in the Temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. Her husband died when they had been married only seven years. Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer. She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem. (Luke 2:36–38 NLT)
Like adults, kids are masters of staying busy, but what that means to them is quite different than what adults mean.
As adults, being busy means projects, tasks, and jobs we need to accomplish. Reading a book, playing a board game, or conversing with friends is fun, but that’s recreation, not busyness. Adults make time for the things that need done. For kids, though, busyness is quite different. Rather than thinking about time for, they are more concerned about time with – time playing with toys, time with an engaging story, time with parents, grandparents, siblings, or friends.
Time with requires us to set aside our agenda and be in the moment with the people in front of us. It means we set aside our plans for what comes next and focus on the immediate. It is holding a conversation to share life, not to convey information. It’s scheduling your day around the time you set aside to pray – without deciding who or what to pray for – rather than fitting pray between appointments. It’s presence rather than performance.
Pastor Zach McAlack of Table of Life Church in Easton, Pennsylvania, recently wrote on their church blog, “Presence requires me to show up as a person, not just a pastor. It requires vulnerability, attention, and a kind of pastoral courage that says: ‘I’m here with you. I see you. And I’m willing to let you see me too.’”
Consider Anna. From one point of view, she doesn’t accomplish anything. All she does is spend her time in the Temple praying and fasting and worshiping God. While these are excellent pursuits, they don’t do anything. But she is spending time with her God.
How are you spending your time? Is your day so scheduled that you are making time for others, or do you allow yourself to spend time with others, without an agenda of things that need to be accomplished?