I hate being late. When I am late for a meeting or appointment, it’s like I am saying ‘my time is more important than your time.’ Usually everyone gets done what they need to do and life goes on, but I still don’t like making people wait on me. When I was in college, I spent a lot of time with several friends from a variety of countries, and they often used the term ‘International Time’ to refer to people showing up late, or things starting later than planned. It was often expected, and most everyone was forgiving of others when it happened, as it was also part of many cultures. In America, when we are late, we often tend to miss out on things, even relationships. How valuable is your time?
Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away. Psalm 90:10
There are a lot of books and movies about time travel, most of which fall into the realm of science fiction, because aside from subatomic particles, the ability to transcend time has not been provable by science yet. Often, they explore the implications of what we would do if we could travel back in time and how it would change our future and the world. Shows like Dr. Who, Back to the Future, and others make for good stories because of how easy it is to jump into a machine and transcend the barriers of time and space we live within now. Have you ever imagined what Heaven will be like, or whether or not the One who created space, time, and the universe has the ability to transcend these things?
Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” Luke 18:27
All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever. Isaiah 40:6,8
Time is the universal equalizer for everyone, young old, rich or poor. It is the one thing we cannot change, buy more of, hoard, or give away. How much time have you ‘wasted’ in your life? Maybe you have spent hours pursuing endeavors or hobbies, or even work that in the end seemed meaningless or empty. Unless you learned something from your mistakes, or failures, it may seem like it was wasted. How about when you were young and in school and you had ‘free’ weekends without an agenda or care in the world. Were those wasted, or do you still long for an occasional day like this again? How do you make your time count now when you have a day off? Do you try to get caught up on things, truly rest, or do you use it for other purposes? Are you really free to choose?
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11
So, whether you have just a half an hour break from your labors today, or you have weeks of ‘free’ time in your retirement, how do you make whatever time you have left count for something other than your own selfish endeavors? Is giving your time for others really more valuable than doing nothing, or just doing what you want? I would propose it is almost always more rewarding when you can give of your time to a friend, brother, child, or stranger to benefit them in some way. It is important to find a balance. Do not burn yourself out if you are giving of yourself all the time. In the same way, do not close yourself off from everyone and waste away. Find what is best with your time for God’s kingdom and rejoice in the ability to be a part of it!
He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. Acts 1:7
Strength and Courage in Christ,
Clark
