Click.

When my 15 year old clicked his seatbelt, and then told me to “buckle up,”
I knew something had changed.

Because he said it from the driver’s seat.

So, yeah. My oldest son turned 15 recently.
After acing his permit exam we went to Waffle House to celebrate.
Cause that’s what you do.

Then it was his first (official) drive to school.
He did great.

Me?
I’m working on it.

Thing is, he’s a terrific driver. Intuitive. Cautious. A ready learner.

My trouble is that every time I see him buckle in, the snap of the seatbelt triggers some strange lapse in the time-space continuum, and I am (once again) in the patient pickup drive-through in front of Shady Grove Hospital in Rockville, Maryland. There I am, slumped over in the back seat of our car, struggling for 45 minutes to get the car seat installed just right. It can’t be too loose. It just can’t. Because, I’m about to put the most precious cargo I’ve ever held in my arms into it, for our first drive home.

And now he’s telling me to buckle up?

How did we get here?
No, seriously.
That first trip home from the hospital could not have been more than 3 days ago.
But I looked.
And, sure enough…15 years.

There are moments when I question why time moves so swiftly.
In frustration (and sometimes panic) I grieve how all-too-fleeting these moments and seasons are that we share with the ones we love most.

There are days when it seems like there is simply not enough time!
One minute we’re digging crusty Cheerios out from in between the car seats,
and the next we’re…(ok, well, we’re still doing that). But you get my point.

Time moves.

But that doesn’t mean there’s not enough of it. There’s always enough time.
The question is: how are we stewarding the time that we have?

So much of our faith journey involves transforming how we view and do our time here with one another. This is one of the many reasons it is essential for families to become ruthlessly devoted to a habit of high attendance and full engagement in the life of their church. It is here in Sunday School and Worship, through studies, sermons, and programs that we attempt to redeem time. It is here, every week that we restore and rehearse a vision of what it means to live fully and freely within the allotted time we share, and to sense with true contentment that it is enough.

In the month of May, there will be many significant moments and milestones in the lives of JCBC families. Senior Graduate recognition, Baby D (Parent/Child Dedication), Mother’s Day, Baccalaureates, to name a few. There will be more than a few occasions for families to reflect upon the space and pace of our shared lives together.

It is not lost on this Pastor how bittersweet this kind of season can be;
especially for those of you whose kids are moving away in the fall.

But know this: you are not alone. You have a church family. Lean on them.
Come to church, and find the hope and help you need for this new and next season in the life of your family.

Come to church.
And we’ll redeem time, together.

Shaun King
Senior Pastor
Johns Creek Baptist Church