I am a proud husband, parent, & pastor. If you share any of these labels, you (like me), have probably asked yourself the question, “where has the time gone?”.  I’m not too old to have forgotten begging for time to speed up when I was a child and now it truly seems as though we’re stuck in fast forward. Have we managed to speed up time? In a word no, but it certainly feels like we have, doesn’t it? There is another explanation as to why the world and time itself seems to be evaporating before our eyes, not because time has sped up, but rather because our world now seems to be built on distractions. 

A distraction is something that prevents someone from giving full attention to someone (or something) else. It is my opinion, that distractions by nature can also be deceptive, meaning that they deceive us into believing that the distraction has more value than the very person (or thing) it’s distracting us from.          

In life, I have observed a very simple but difficult truth. What we value, we give our time to. This truth has become most evident in my own life and family. I know I value my family, but in reality, where my time is most allocated shows what I really value in life. If you’re like me and really want to value your family, then we must revere the opportunities we have with them. I can’t think of a better place (or time) than at the table, breaking bread, together.

What if we approached time with our family like Jesus approached gathering with his disciples? The dinner table may be just the place. First, consecrate that time and space, meaning that it is set apart from everything else. Second, I can think of no better way to consecrate something than to invite the presence of God. You can do that by praying a blessing with your family and over your meal. Third, guard this time. Communicate it, plan for it, and follow through with it. This is a way of getting ahead of every distraction that stands to try and pull your attention away from what you value. My prayer for you and your family would be this: that sooner than later you will realize that this sweet time of gathering over food won’t just be bread for your body but bring you to the table offering you the bread of life itself.

By Zachary Miller, Pastor of Students-Eagles Landing First Baptist Church