Kairos Won--(Was there really any doubt?)

Yesterday I posted on Facebook that I was getting a real lesson in God's time. And today that lesson is complete. I'm writing this in my own home--as opposed to Mom's--and I've cried buckets of tears today. As you have guess from the tone, Mom died this morning. Officially the time of death was 9:50 a.m. This was the moment for which I have been waiting and waiting. Yet I have been dreading it beyond measure.

The ancient Greeks had two words that we have since translated as "time". (Or so I have been taught...) The most familiar of the two is "chronos" from which we get words such as chronology and chronological. This assumes time can be measured, and measure we do. We have timelines and clocks. We have calendars. We mark the progress of time with rites of passage such as birthdays, graduations, and weddings. We also mark the progress of time with photos and lines drawn on a wall.  Sadly enough, we also mark the progress of times with funerals. 

As I understand it, the point of a funeral is to say goodbye to the loved one and to celebrate and honor their life. There is a poem or song about "The Dash"--the things that happen in between the date of birth and the date of death on the tombstone. These are all the things that make a life...the lessons learned, the journeys traveled, the family raised. All of this can be placed on a time line. So my mom's chronology includes her date of birth...January 9, 1933. It includes working in her father' store from the age of 14, getting married, divorced, then married again, having two daughters, working in various Hebron, Indiana businesses, and having grandchildren. It includes travel, and college, and moves. In between the big markers were thousands of little ones...meals eaten, books read, walks taken. There were golf games and card games. There was joy and there was heartache. 

Ultimately, I believe "chronos" is a gift from God, given as part of the life we are to live here on earth. But then there is "Kairos". I am less clear on Kairos, as I have never been a philosopher. But according to the ever reliable (said tongue in cheek) Wikipedia,"in the New Testament, kairos means 'the appointed time in the purpose of God', the time when God acts. Merriam-Webster defines it as a time when conditions are right for the accomplishment of a crucial action : the opportune and decisive moment. In general, it's my understanding that Kairos has to do about quality rather than number. And this, is the greatest gift of all. 

God's time is not ours. He is infinite, timeless and eternal. Yet He is concerned about each and every one of us. He is the creator and sustainer of life. And not only this life...the life eternal for us. And so today, God acted. He took His daughter home--He healed her through death. A mystery, yes. Preposterous to some, but my hope and faith tell me otherwise. Today my Mom entered into eternity...she is with her parents, husband and sister who have gone before her, and with Jesus. John Newton said it so well in the hymn Amazing Grace:  "When we've been there 10,000 years/Bright shining as the sun/We've no less days to sing God's praise/ Than when we've first begun..."

In the chronos days to come, I hope to be aware of the Kairos--the quality of being with family and friends. The joy of being held and of holding on. And I pray that for you as well. Look for Kairos--and love deeply.

 Some Kairos with her favorite people...