November 8, 2026
A particular phrase pops up in many of our conversations and grabs my attention every time I hear it. It is usually transmitted with some degree of authority, as though it were a prelude to an announcement or proclamation.
The phrase is: “The time has come…”
When I hear those four words, I know the speaker has reached a point at which something different is about to happen. It may be something small or something momentous. Nevertheless, it has been in the making, on the schedule, or in the person's mind for some time. And now, the time has come.
Some examples of how we use this phrase are:
The time has come to leave home.
The time has come to fill out those applications.
The time has come to end our pet's suffering.
The time has come to stop dyeing my hair.
The time has come to answer that letter.
The time has come to make an offer.
The time has come to forgive.
The time has come to marry… to retire… to begin a family.
For this phrase to be spoken, something must have been building in intensity in the person’s life. And now, its time of arrival is at hand. It has been lingering in the shadows, but now it is coming into the light.
Sometimes we say, “The time has come,” because it’s obvious that something must be done. For example, we might say, “The time has come for us to get flood insurance,” after the river overflows into our basement and first floor!
However, the phrase can arise from an entirely different motivation and energy. It comes from a recently recognized inner knowing that now is the time. It’s connected to an internal, typically unconscious schedule we carry within us for our lives. Much like our biological clock, this is our internal spiritual clock.
I recall one of the first times I felt that “the time had come.” I was four years old, waiting behind the screen door for my kindergarten bus to arrive. But there was a problem. My mother had gone across the street to the grocery store to get something for my snack bag. She was not there when the bus arrived.
I remember thinking, How can I leave the house and get on that bus without my mother seeing me off? And what about my snack?
But something stirred within me. Somehow, I knew that the time had come for me, on my own, to do what I had to do. And I did—I opened the screen door, walked to the bus, and got on it. Not without plenty of tears, mind you, but I did! Little did I know that life would present a never-ending series of screen doors that I would stand before and, on a deep inner level, know it was time to push through.
I believe this inner clock is connected to our soul’s purpose—that knowing when the time has come is not merely random but an internal “notification” of something scheduled to arise in our soul. So, doing what each moment calls for fulfills our purpose.
Spiritual Practice and Inquiry
If you drop into your heart right now, does it give you an answer to the question: “The time has come for what?” Journal about that answer.
Prayer
Dear God,
The time has come for me to enter a new phase of life. I am not sure what it may be, but I know the screen door is opening for me now. As I muster the courage, my curiosity is piqued. I am enchanted by what lies ahead and pray for Your companionship as I climb upon this bus without tears.
Amen
