Waiting for a traffic light, waiting for the train, waiting for a lecture to be over, waiting for a web page to load, waiting for a job offer, waiting for a university admission decision, or waiting for a text response - these don’t sound like a pleasant experience, to say the least. In fact, each is an agonizing experience for many of us. But why? Are we fated to have such experiences? For a prolonged period of time, I used to see ‘time heals everything’ as nothing more than a hypocritical statement. It’s better now. If there’s only one thing that drives this change, it’s the awareness of time is our greatest ally.
Why would a man be the master of a tiger?
Centuries earlier, the earth used to be a planet of animal kingdoms. It’s a hostile environment occupied by potent predators like dinosaurs, leopards, grizzlies (think King King), lions and crocodiles, it’s mind-blowing that frail and petite figures (comparatively) like you and me would reign over this ecosystem sometime later. How does this happen? Imagine a man in the middle of Amazon forest in the midst of an up-close encounter with a loitering tiger. What could this man do, if fleeing isn’t an option? First, he needs to stay calm, take time to observe the movements and body language of the tiger while keeping himself camouflaged. When the suitable time arises, he needs to get to a strategic position to shoot the tiger down, with a spear or rifle. That’s basically what a hunter does.
What does this tell us?
Obviously, weaponry gives the man the edge. But this analogy also reveals the difference in our relationship with time. For the tiger, time is a pressing matter. ‘Time waits for no one’ especially applies to them. It has to jump at the chance when a prey comes into its sight. For the tiger, survival is chasing game with time. On the other hand, for human, time is the man’s friend. He’d want to ‘buy time’ and wait for the circumstances to favor him.
Time is our friend
Time is actually our friend. The more I reflect upon this awareness, the more I find it rings true. Take romantic relationship as an example. Personally, it hasn’t been an easy subject. Having a great relationship with my other half is one of my biggest dreams. I couldn’t wait to have a taste of it, especially I haven’t been in any relationship before. It’s not that I haven’t found someone whom I’m into. But a lot of times, the feeling wasn’t mutual. For that, I’ve gone through a series of emotional roller coaster rides. It’s not fun and draining.
Befriend time
Looking back, my relationship with time has been hostile when it comes to romantic relationship. I used to keep thinking ‘I really look forward to the day I found my other half, when would the day come?’ I was like the tiger eager to look for its prey. What if I switch role to be the man? I would want to buy time. Instead of eagerly assessing if a potential counterpart is the one, I would let time help me to know the person and verify if that’s more of an infatuation or a committed affection. I can’t decide if I’m merely attracted to a person’s appearance or I really see her inner beauty until time does the test for me. At the same time, in the journey, I get to explore and have a better understanding of what I look for from the relationship with my other half. These are growth. The journey matters more than the destination because growth happens in the journey. Perhaps I should actually be thankful when the journey is lasting longer than I hoped for.
Furthermore, true love knows no time limit. Hence, let time does us a favor in finding true love. Be kind to time.
1 Corinthians 13:7-10
7-8a Love knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope; it can outlast anything. It is, in fact, the one thing that still stands when all else has fallen.
Why would a man be the master of a tiger?
Centuries earlier, the earth used to be a planet of animal kingdoms. It’s a hostile environment occupied by potent predators like dinosaurs, leopards, grizzlies (think King King), lions and crocodiles, it’s mind-blowing that frail and petite figures (comparatively) like you and me would reign over this ecosystem sometime later. How does this happen? Imagine a man in the middle of Amazon forest in the midst of an up-close encounter with a loitering tiger. What could this man do, if fleeing isn’t an option? First, he needs to stay calm, take time to observe the movements and body language of the tiger while keeping himself camouflaged. When the suitable time arises, he needs to get to a strategic position to shoot the tiger down, with a spear or rifle. That’s basically what a hunter does.
What does this tell us?
Obviously, weaponry gives the man the edge. But this analogy also reveals the difference in our relationship with time. For the tiger, time is a pressing matter. ‘Time waits for no one’ especially applies to them. It has to jump at the chance when a prey comes into its sight. For the tiger, survival is chasing game with time. On the other hand, for human, time is the man’s friend. He’d want to ‘buy time’ and wait for the circumstances to favor him.
Time is our friend
Time is actually our friend. The more I reflect upon this awareness, the more I find it rings true. Take romantic relationship as an example. Personally, it hasn’t been an easy subject. Having a great relationship with my other half is one of my biggest dreams. I couldn’t wait to have a taste of it, especially I haven’t been in any relationship before. It’s not that I haven’t found someone whom I’m into. But a lot of times, the feeling wasn’t mutual. For that, I’ve gone through a series of emotional roller coaster rides. It’s not fun and draining.
Befriend time
Looking back, my relationship with time has been hostile when it comes to romantic relationship. I used to keep thinking ‘I really look forward to the day I found my other half, when would the day come?’ I was like the tiger eager to look for its prey. What if I switch role to be the man? I would want to buy time. Instead of eagerly assessing if a potential counterpart is the one, I would let time help me to know the person and verify if that’s more of an infatuation or a committed affection. I can’t decide if I’m merely attracted to a person’s appearance or I really see her inner beauty until time does the test for me. At the same time, in the journey, I get to explore and have a better understanding of what I look for from the relationship with my other half. These are growth. The journey matters more than the destination because growth happens in the journey. Perhaps I should actually be thankful when the journey is lasting longer than I hoped for.
Furthermore, true love knows no time limit. Hence, let time does us a favor in finding true love. Be kind to time.
1 Corinthians 13:7-10
7-8a Love knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope; it can outlast anything. It is, in fact, the one thing that still stands when all else has fallen.