Simon's Eyes
7 days and 22 minutes. That’s not enough time! But wasn’t it? How much did Simon accomplish in just 7 days and 22 minutes? How many lives were touched? How much joy did he bring to faces? How much hope swelled in hearts of those who were feeling hopeless? How many tears were shed in both joy and in grief?
We make so many excuses for ourselves with the lack of time we have. More than I care to admit, I shirk certain responsibilities as a husband, a father and an employee because, “I’m too busy,” or, “I ran out of time.” If days were able to be stretched to 27 hours long instead of 24, I’m certain I’d have the same excuses as to why I didn’t get things done... despite the fact that I was just given exactly what I complained about not having enough of: more time!
We speak of time like it is a God. Time dictates when we get up in the morning, how long we have to exercise, when we make dinner reservations, if we read that book that is collecting dust on the night stand, and whether or not we can make it to church.
When the way we budget our time gets thrown out of balance, marriages crumble, addictions manifest, job performance plummets, health declines, resentment grows and finances suffer. What is occupying our time? What branches are hanging from our lives and not producing fruit? We should prune these branches and focus our time and resources on the ones that produce life-giving fruit. It does not take much time to produce fruit and impact lives. Simon's life is evidence of that truth.
Simon Adam Balentine lived just 7 days and 22 minutes, but now his name is on the lips of strangers I’ll never meet. His sweet face is engrained in the memories of people across the United States and around the world. When Simon encountered God the Father and was told, “Well done, my good and faithful servant,” do you think Simon said, “Why didn’t you give me more time, God?”
Time is not an excuse as to why we can’t be better spouses, more dedicated parents, faithful Christians, harder workers and intense gatherers of wisdom and knowledge. Time is not God, as it only has the power to take something away.
When Amy and I looked in Simon’s eyes, which he opened mainly at night, we saw depth of wisdom. We felt so intimately tied to him as we gazed in his eyes. A few others have even noticed that he had, “old eyes.” His eyes told us that he knew what God’s desire was for him, and that he was at peace with the time he would receive here on earth. His eyes showed confidence that time was not of concern to him, as he understood his eternal reward was right around the corner. His eyes calmed his mom and dad, as we felt time with him slipping away at furious pace. From the perspective of those in Heaven, what is time but a way to break us and enslave us? Perhaps we need to think of time through the eyes of a child - through the eyes of Simon.
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P.S. We have saved a date of June 14, 2014 at our church home, Christ Community Church in Brookside, for Simon’s Celebration of Life service. Start time is to be determined, but we will announce that soon. More details will follow. All are invited. We are so excited to share this special time celebrating Simon’s life.
P.S. We have saved a date of June 14, 2014 at our church home, Christ Community Church in Brookside, for Simon’s Celebration of Life service. Start time is to be determined, but we will announce that soon. More details will follow. All are invited. We are so excited to share this special time celebrating Simon’s life.
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