It was the weekend I was celebrating my 82nd birthday. I mention this date because this story is all about time.
As I opened my eyes for the first time that morning, it was still dark. I could tell by the little red dot in the top corner of my digital clock radio that a new day had commenced. This little light only comes on after midnight and determines the difference between the AM and PM time on my clock.
Of recent times, I have made it a habit of saying my first ‘Good Morning’ to my God. So, if that red dot is glowing when I wake, I follow a little daily ritual that takes the outstretched hand of Jesus the Christ, as a child would take the hand of an adult, and I trust that the Divine Presence in my life will share with empathy my existence that day.
On this particular early morning, I suddenly realised the little red AM indicator light was telling me more than the fact that it was the morning of a new day. My God was telling me ‘I AM who AM’. I‘ve heard that phrase before, I thought to myself as I spent time contemplating the depth of its meaning.
It was then I realised the significance of the role this simple digital clock radio had played in my life. I still remember the day in Melbourne I purchased it in the early 1970’s. I recall looking over the counter of the shop at the rows of transistor radios and clock radios on the shelf behind the middle-aged shop owner. I guess, I just preferred the look of this particular unit over the others.
Little was I to know then that this digital alarm clock radio was to happily operate continually beside our bed for at least the next 50 years. And that my God would use it to eventually initiate my morning prayer.
The only time that clock has stopped, apart from power outages, has been when it was transported from our Victorian home in suburban Melbourne to our Queensland homes north of Brisbane.
It has heard our whisperings in the night as we questioned why we had chosen to move from our family and friends to a little-known destination over 1000 kilometres away. The clock knew we only wanted the best life for our children and ourselves and we were following the promptings from within our hearts. It also knew we were still questioning our decision as we walked out the front door of our Melbourne home for the last time.
Raising a family is never easy, but it has its fun times and the clock watched as we shared our love with our family and with those who came to our home. While this clock might be our time indicator, like us, its time can only go forward. However, this particular clock, has allowed us to see how our God has been with us, and continues to be with us, each moment of every day. My hope is that it continues to operate for years to come.
I’m Peter Mack and that’s faith.