When Time is at a Premium

May 29, 2024

As you can imagine, parking in New York City can be difficult to come by. I took this photo on a trip to New York City in 2009. And recently I’ve read articles that indicate parking (especially free parking) is becoming even harder to find now.

I won’t get into the economics of parking costs, but I’ve learned that when space is at a premium like this, and there is simply not enough room for everyone, tough decisions often have to be made.

When Time is at a Premium #hope #joy #writingcommunity Share on X

Take the Alternate Side Parking rules in many areas of New York City for instance. Alternate side parking requires car owners across the five boroughs to keep alternate sides of the street free of cars for a period of ninety minutes to several hours on certain days every week for the purpose of cleaning them.[1]

New Yorkers have found a few ways to handle the requirements of alternate side parking. Here are a few of those options. I’ve named these behaviors just to have a little fun with today’s post.

The “leave and hope for the best” approach – This person chooses to run car-required errands during the time their side of the street is being cleaned, returning when the time has elapsed, hoping a space is available.

The “sneak-attack” approach – This person chooses to double park on the opposite side of the street until the sweeper has passed or the time is up.

The “multi-task” approach – This person sits in their car doing other things and when the street sweeper shows up, they leave (sometimes just a few feet away), returning when the sweeper has finished sweeping their spot.

The “cost is better than the cure” approach – This person just accepts the cost of a ticket for not moving and accounts for it in their cost of living (this option is not as popular since towing rules have been strengthened).

No matter the approach, the long-term benefit of everyone finding a way to follow the rules is cleaner streets.

Our lives can be like this.

If we are Christians, spending time with Jesus should be something we believe is mandatory. Kind of like alternate side parking in New York.

We may use similar approaches to spending time with our Lord. Sometimes we spend days or weeks away from Him, hoping He is there when we return and need his help. Or we might try to stay just close enough to not feel apart. Maybe we want to be close just in time to enjoy the benefits without too much effort. Or probably the worst thing we could do is decide we just won’t put in any effort and take what comes our way.

Spending time with Jesus is not a rule, but it is clearly God’s desire. Jesus, our example for living, spent time with God, the Father.

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” (Mark 1:35, NIV)

When time is at a premium, my prayer is that we find a way to set aside precious minutes to focus on time with God, not looking for ways to skirt His desire, but embracing time that results in a right relationship with Him.

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[1] https://www.citysignal.com/nyc-alternate-side-parking-guide/