What is your concept of time?

What is your concept of time?

When we were investigating the Church and thereafter ‘time’ was one of my biggest questions – I really wanted to understand it more fully. My real question centered on Father’s Time and not ‘our’ time. Being strangers here our adjustment to man’s time has been one of the most difficult of all things as it’s more finite than we were used to in the preexistence. When doing this I researched the scriptures (all of them); dictionaries; asked questions of President Rossiter and generally studied all I could. Over years of research and pondering my concept of time is one of randomness. It’s random because we use it either to our advantage or we don’t and Father wants us to use it all wisely (without measure) in the service and mission He sent us here to perform. It’s both a blessing and a curse in our lives. Man has made it finite so that they have a feeling of control. Father has made time measurable only to how we use it – either wisely or foolishly.

Conditions set by man are seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years (and all the other things such as nano-seconds, etc.) By the use of these conditions they measure both life and all of the elements within a lifetime. They set paychecks, school years, vacations, sick time, ages of marriage, smoking, drinking, sex, retirement and term limits or none. When man had his complete agency – many found they could not survive in something as simple and basic as choosing right or wrong – to use their mortal probation wisely or unwisely.

In the Garden of Eden – Adam and Eve had no time nor seasons – they were there and they tended the garden – we know there was day and night and seasons but without a description as to cold or hot – and one would guess it was moderate to their needs. However upon leaving the Garden for their journey in mortal probation things changed and they were not geographically restricted to one area.

There’s no mention of time initially upon their entering mortality – however they did keep a journal (as commanded – or a Book of Life with records) and one would guess they measured and knew when to plant – harvest, etc. Eve would know the relative duration of her pregnancies – but again this would be passed on. Time as we know it today would’ve begun with the event of Cane slewing Able. Cane would’ve led those who went with him and under the mentoring of Satan understand the need for controls and the removal of Agency. Since the wicked more often than not exercise control they would’ve enforced this use of measurement known as ‘worldly time’. With such a control one of many they could exercise more and more dominion over the choices of all those in Mortal Probation. While Satan has only one goal – Father could use this one control ‘time’ for his purposes in both Prophesy and allowing for the teaching of elements of the eternal within the mortal. Thus there now could be an age of accountability – an age of mortality – a calendar – the meridian of time – which was part and parcel of the Plan of Salvation.

Satan in his controls and removal of agency also used the measurements of time to more control his minions and lead mankind astray into believing there was time to repent and thus the idea of procrastination was invoked into the thinking of mortal probation. If one looks from afar and could see the division one item into two – two items into four and so on till today where this is a number beyond our comprehension one could see the confusion and chaos caused by this one control enacted so long ago by Cain upon Able.

Thus today – time is simply a tool of the world upon those in their mortal probation – some can accept to be controlled by the world – or better understand that Father has sent us here on a mission – and we either use this mortality wisely or unwisely. The word Slothful comes to mind. So often I worry I’m being slothful in my stewardships in going to the woods – reading fiction – playing games – playing golf – watching movies – when I know there’s so much I’ve to do. In all events one can only try to be true to the Commandments and Covenants we’ve made – holding fast to the Iron Rod and repenting of our slips.

To me man’s usage of time is somewhat unimportant – however, Father’s time and agency is not!! Yes I hopefully will live longer – to see Corinne and Anneliese grow and each you and your brother and your families mature and grow. As the scriptures state, Doctrine and Covenants 122:9 “Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever.”