It is probably the most universal topic of human interest. Who among us hasn’t dreamed of journeying back in time to an earlier, perhaps happier, time in our life? Who hasn’t wished they could glimpse the future to validate today’s decisions or decide which stock to buy?

Sci-Fi and fiction writers have had a field day building stories around the concept of time travel. Meanwhile, scientists labor to understand time and how it fits into the mix of forces that define our existence.

So… what has this to do with our efforts to reconcile faith and logic?

As much as time travel seems to fit neatly into the realm of science fiction, the reality is that time travel is universally experienced. Each day of our life is a journey between yesterday and tomorrow. Each day, we travel through time in a single direction, and at a constant speed. We don’t have the ability to accelerate or slow down our movement through time. In fact, you might recognize that you travel with time rather than through it. You don’t feel the movement through time any more than you feel yourself speeding through space at 67,000 miles per hour as the earth orbits the sun.

Time then, is one of those things that we experience without fully understanding the mechanics of it. We invent ways to measure time. We invent ways to keep track of time. We keep records to divide time into segments that enable us to create a historical record.

Science uses time to establish a standard that can be applied to other activities, but cannot answer the ultimate questions – why does time exist? Why does time seem to move in only one direction?

That’s where God comes in.

Like many of the elements of our existence, we have a limited understanding of the concept of time. In a universe that depends on so many interlocking and interacting elements, the very fact that time exists is evidence of Devine intent. The slow, steady flow of time is a critical component of the formula of creation. Like a cake that requires a certain period of time and heat to develop, the universe itself, and all that it contains, required a progressive chain of events to accomplish what was needed for the finished product that we experience. Even with our limited understanding, we can appreciate that all the changes could not occur at once. What was needed was time.

Whether it is gravity, the slow cooling of a newly formed planet, evolution, or any one of the multitude of actions, time is the common element that makes it all work.

It is hard to imagine that so complex a system could exist by accident. Such a complex system could only happen by Devine plan.

And as each of us experiences our journey through time, I can only add… enjoy the trip. It is one of God’s greatest gifts.