In 1977 the Steve Miller Band sang, “Time keeps on slippin’ slippin’ slippin’ into the future.” Huh? I didn’t know what they meant then, and I don’t now. For me, time keeps on rushing into the past. I look up at the clock, it’s supposed to be lunch time but it’s 4:00 p.m.! I look at our kids and marvel that they’re all grown up—how did that happen!
And I’m not alone in this. If we pause to think (can you pause?), we’re unsettled by the seemingly swift passing of time. Another 1970s pop music voice had a different angle: James Taylor said, “The secret of life is enjoying the passing of time.” I think he was on to something.
So why is time so unnerving? Why do we always say, “My, how time flies”? Why are we so shocked to see how much Johnny has grown? Why are lovers always singing that they long to be together “forever”? C. S. Lewis says there’s something in us that was never made to be bound by time (Severe Mercy 89-90). God put eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11): we’re made in his image, designed for forever.
Our recent messages on stewardship also have me thinking about time. After all, time is given by God and we’re called to use it for his honor. Following Jesus faithfully means investing the time he gives us so as to please him: “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time,…” (Ephesians 5:15-16).
Jon Bloom, a blogger at desiringgod.org, raises another key issue. In his article, “You Have Just Enough Time,” he confesses how his own oft-repeated complaint that “I don’t have enough time” was, in fact, a sign of failing faith. In truth, all our moaning about not having enough time reflects poorly on God! “I need to break the very bad habit of saying I don’t have enough time. When I say this, I’m not only blaming my own moral laziness on my circumstances, I’m actually blaming God. I’m essentially saying that God is either insufficient or he is stingy.” God has given us just enough time to do what we need to do.
I know that you have a thousand things to do—me too! But I also know that the Lord calls us to life that balances work and rest (i.e., Sabbath). He says, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). Does your lifestyle allow you to be still in the Lord’s presence?
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