Like many people I didn’t always get along with my older brother. David and I rarely saw eye to eye. He bullied me and put me down, and I tried to do likewise, but it’s hard when you are out weighed by thirty pounds or so. But I must say that David made a positive impression on me when he moved in with my grandfather after grandma had passed away. My grandfather didn’t need that much help, he pretty much took care of himself. He just needed someone to be around. He needed someone to spend some time with him. And that is what my brother did. He didn’t have to give much, just some of his time.
My brother is not the only person who was willing to take some time out of his life on behalf of another; Jesus did very much the same thing. The words, “Jesus was never in a hurry” are in the section called “As Jesus Passed By” (1874.5). This section talks about how Jesus would take time out to minister to everyone he bumped into. He never rushed anyone; he was always willing to spend time with a person that he could help. The story of the paralyzed man who crashed through the ceiling of a house is an excellent example of this (1666.6). Jesus allows this man seeking healing to interrupt his preaching and disrupt the lives of all of those other people who were eagerly listening to his words. Jesus didn’t get angry, didn’t chastise the man for being rude. He just paused for a few moments and healed him. As the Urantia Book says Jesus did good as he passed by.
I am a fairly busy person. I complain about not having enough time to do everything. But when I contemplate the life that Jesus lived, I realize how unimportant my concern over my time really is. Do I really have to be in a rush to get home in time to watch the basketball game? Do I really have to drive like a maniac to reach work a few minutes faster? I think that we make too much of a fuss over time. To God time isn’t important at all. God is timeless, the past and future are all the same. But beings like us inhabit worlds that measure time, and God certainly considers us important. For us time is important because we need time to grow in spiritual maturity. No one becomes like Jesus overnight. And I believe that our spiritual growth depends upon giving and caring for others. Just as people are important to God and to Jesus, so should the people who surround us be everything to us. Therefore our time should be used for the benefit of others. We have the promise of an eternity of time ahead of us. Shouldn’t it be spent doing what really matters? Spending it with our fellow travelers on the way to God? Isn’t the whole point of time to minister and be ministered to? Jesus thought so; he always had time for a person in need.
I believe in making time for people. I don’t think I should ever be so busy as to neglect the needs of another. I know from my experiences that all of us can make time for what we feel to be important. Look at how many people make time for sports.
Make time for what’s important. Make time for people. Jesus would have made time for us - as he passed by.
God bless you,
William Whitehead
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