My, How Time Flies!

I find myself reflecting on time a lot these days.  And how time flies.  I look in one direction and see my dad who’s now up in his 90s, and I look in the other and see our grown “kids” exploring life in their 20s.  Frankly, it’s unnerving—how swiftly the changes burst upon the scene!  As time rockets by (you realize 2017 is over half gone now, right?), something inside us wants to step on the brakes.

So what are we to make of that impulse—the yearning to hold back the relentless advance of time?  Two thoughts.  First, we may be fail­ing to wear the spectacles of faith as we view life.  That is, clinging to this life / these skills / these comforts / this momentary sweet spot that feels “just right”… reveals non-trust in God for today.

But second, as C. S. Lewis points out, there’s also something deeply right when we say, “My, how time flies.”  Or when we’re shocked to see how much Johnny has grown.  Or when lovers sing how they yearn to be together “forever.”  It’s because our hearts were not made to be bound by time (Severe Mercy 89-90).  God built eternity into our souls (Eccles­iastes 3:11); we’re made in his image, designed for forever.  The intru­sion of death as a result of sin (Genesis 2:17; 3:19) is pro­foundly unnatural—and, of course, one day the curse will be reversed, and “death shall be no more” (Revelation 21:4)!

So it seems when life is good, we’re tempted to cling to today and chafe at the passing of time:  “Stop the clock!”  And when life turns sour, when we’re hurting for this reason or that, we plead with God to accelerate time.  All affliction feels like slow affliction, so we call out to the Father, “How long?” (as in Psalm 79:5, or Habakkuk 1:1, etc.).

I believe God is calling me—and all of us—to remember that he sees time differently than we do.  In the scheme of eternity, trials enduring for a lifetime actually last but “a little while” (1 Peter 5:10); Paul’s epic course of prolonged suffering is but “a light, momentary affliction” (2 Corinthians 4:17).  A day with the Lord is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day (2 Peter 3:8).  So let’s join together and ask God to calm our anxious hearts and help us embrace his good spiritual medicine of waiting:  Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! (Psalm 27:14).