I am a Myers Briggs J. My wife, Cathy, is a P. For those of you unfamiliar with these designations. I view time as a precise measurement. Cathy perceives time as a guideline. When she says she’s be ready to go in five minutes, I watch the clock closely. Five minutes and one second is too late as far as I’m concerned. Five minutes for Cathy includes expandable boundaries.

     Each of us experiences time differently. Researchers have found a link between our emotions and our perspective of time. Scientists have discovered that fear can prolong one’s perception of elapsed time. When we are afraid, we sense the event to extend a longer length of time than it is. For example, people who ride a roller coaster overestimate the duration of the first drop.

     Time also is experienced differently based on elevation. The Burj Khalifa in Dubai is the tallest building in the world at 2716.5 feet. Those who reside on the top floors witness a breathtaking view and can see far into the Arabian Desert. They observe the sun set several minutes after the people on the ground see it. Time expands the higher one climbs.

      The Psalm writer once wrote of God, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways” (Isaiah 55:8, ESV). Just as the people who reside above the eightieth floor of the Burj Khalifa experience the combination of time and fear differently, so does God. The Psalmist welcomes us to see the world through God’s eyes. To know the experiences that frighten us most do not last as we expect. That the higher we set our sights on God, the greater our sense of confidence and peace will be.