In his book written under the above title, C. Robert Line shares from his preface: In recent years there has been a proliferation of stories, books, and movies that, in one way or another, deal with the theme of the perception of time. Some have dealt with time travel or the warping of space-time through interstellar travel. Others have focused on the relativity of time or its relative passage during dreams or dream-induced states of mind. Audiences have not only flocked to see shows on this topic but have become enamored with the futuristic possibilities and applications of scientific notions that stretch the imagination and challenge our current perceptions about the world around us. There is a fascination, to say the least, with the theme of time. Whether one is a particle physicist or a cinematic junkie, at every level of humanity a desire, even a thirst, to find the meaning of and our place in this baffling concept we call time.
Latter-day scriptures, fortunately, are not silent on the issue of time. To the contrary, prophets ancient and modern, as we will see herein, have commented and taught various empowering principles relating to time. That’s what this book is about—time. It’s all about time. It really is. Time is everything, and if we are not careful, we will run out of it. Yet there is time and to spare to do all that we were sent here to do. “And behold, I, the Lord, declare unto you, and my words are sure and shall not fail, that they shall obtain it. But all things must come to pass in their time.” (Doctrine and Covenants 64:31-32)
Time heals the pain. Well, at lest that’s what some people say. But does it really? Do we choose the time in which we live? There are those who say they wish they were born in another time. Speaking of the trials he was destined to endure, the fictional Hobbit lamented his lot. “I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo. “So do I,” said Gandalf, and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”2 And so it goes.
Our existence is defined by time or the lack thereof. Time is what we have everyday until it’s gone. Time, unlike material things, said Elder Maxwell, “cannot be recycled.”3 Time is the great governor of human emotions. This is to say that time can, within the context of our lives, facilitate emotions such as anxiety, depression, longing, fear, excitement, joy, anticipation, impatience, and even boredom. It’s almost as if we are uncomfortable in (or even allergic to) this realm we call time. In a certain sense we are like fish out of water—we exist in a realm foreign to our spirits. As Elder Neal A. Maxwell perceptively observed. “Time is clearly not our natural perception. Thus it is that we are never really at home in time. Alternately, we find ourselves impatiently wishing to hasten the passage of time or to hold back the dawn. We do neither, of course. Whereas the bird is at home in the air, we are clearly not home in time—because we belong to eternity. Time as much as anything, whispers to us that we are strangers here. If time were natural to us, why is it that we have so many clocks and wear wristwatches?4 Time waits for no one, therefore, we must use our time wisely, it is fleeting. Mother Teresa observed, “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.” . . . . ~C. Robert Line, Understanding the Doctrine of God’s Time (Covenant Communications, Salt Lake City, 2015)) xi-xiii
