Time flies ...

Have you ever thought about how, when you were a kid, 30 years from then seemed like an absolute eternity?  If you’re old enough now, think back 30 years (or 20 if you’re not old enough) and consider how amazingly short that time feels ago.  Somehow, when we look back, time feels like the blink of an eye, but when we look forward it feels like forever.

Time flies. 

But we think we have a lot of it ahead of us, but when we think about it after the fact it isn’t much.  Huh?

Time is described in interesting and often quite plain ways in the Bible.  One such example arose this week as I was reading through Job 8 – 14, Psalms 45 – 51, and 2 Chronicles 15 – 21.

It’s during a discourse between Job and his friends, Bildad, Eliphaz and Zophar … a discourse that goes back and forth through most of the book.  In this case, in chapter 8 of Job, Bildad is trying to get Job to acknowledge that Job’s plight is a consequence of some sin somewhere in Job’s life.  He’s basically telling him, life’s too short to be holding on to your pride … if you acknowledge your wrong, God will faithfully forgive and restore you.

The preciousness of time in this exchange is intriguing to me and supplies us with a really important reminder about the context of life.  In Job 8:5-10 …

But if you pray to God
and seek the favor of the Almighty, and if you are pure and live with integrity,
he will surely rise up and restore your happy home.  And though you started with little, you will end with much.  “Just ask the previous generation.  Pay attention to the experience of our ancestors.  For we were born but yesterday and know nothing.  Our days on earth are as fleeting as a shadow.  But those who came before us will teach you.  They will teach you the wisdom of old.

Now I won’t say that how this moved me is in complete alignment with how Bildad was trying to move Job.  Either way, I think God oftentimes can speak to us in ways we believe are probably unintentional, but I also don’t think God is unintentional about anything.

And so … what is it that He could be trying to tell us in this.  “For we were born but yesterday and know nothing.  Our days on earth are as fleeting as a shadow.”

The older I get the more I realize how fleeting life really is.  When I turned 47 a couple weeks ago, I did the inevitable math and noted that I’m probably well past the halfway point in my life, if the Lord tarries.  That means, crudely, that I’m closer to going home to heaven than not.  I remember being a kid and calculating that I would be 33 when the year 2000 came about.  That sounded ANCIENT and yet, man, would I love to be and feel 33 again.  Yeah, a bright and cheery message this week.

But what’s more important than the morbid reality in this is the opportunity this reality presents.  I think there are a few really good nuggets in this.

First off, realizing that our life isn’t promised to be long, or to even be until tomorrow, helps us value the days we have all the more.  I often remind people that we should live life in smaller and smaller increments.  That is, take every moment and cherish it for what it’s worth.  If we measure our lives in lifetimes we can get lost in the details.  If we measure our lives in years, we’re subject to the big-picture events around us dictating whether we’re joyful or not.  Even if we measure daily, I think too many conflicting scenes in the day can overwhelm and confuse us.  Take it minute by minute or moment by moment.  Thank God for this minute … this moment … this breath.  Have you ever thanked God for letting you wake up in the morning?  Try that.  Or, maybe thank Him for every hour He lets you get through.  We could all benefit from a little of that perspective.

Secondly, thank Him for the aggregate life wealth He’s let you amass.  Yeah, life wealth, not financial wealth.  There are things we gain from just living and growing.  Think of how you came into the world … unclothed, unable to talk, unable to take care of your own basic needs, unable to walk.  Now think about the person you are … no matter who you are, you’re successful, wealthier than the substantial majority of the planet, healthier than the majority of the planet, and so on.  Only by living through life do you get to that point.  Though time’s flown by, without that we wouldn’t be where we are or have what we have.

Finally, we have lots to give back to others.  Experiences.  Stories.  Knowledge.  Wisdom.  Those ONLY come with the passing of time.  The more time that passes, the more of that wealth we get to share.  It’s not that we have GOT to share, it’s that we GET to share.

We can think of the passage of time as what makes us feel old and rickety, or we can think of the passage of time as what gives us value.  Value to notice things more by living in smaller increments.  Value to take stock and inventory of the myriad ways we’ve been given great life wealth.  Value to share.

But time flies, so don’t wait to do these things.  If you take your time in taking time to heart, you may lose your chance.

I don’t know about you, but I am not going to blink and miss it.

Because of Christ,

MR