Can’t Save the Past or Grasp the Future – Now’s All We Have

Alistair Begg is one of my favorite radio preachers. His winsome Scottish brogue remains with him despite many years of living in the U.S.A. But what appeals to me most is his ability to convey biblical truth in common, everyday ways that make you want to respond, ‘Oh yeah. I get it!’

 

On a recent program he posed an intriguing scenario. Every morning you have $86,400 deposited in your bank account. You can use the money in any way you wish. But at the end of the day, whatever remains is wiped out. Until the next morning, when another $86,400 is deposited in your account with the same stipulation. Whatever’s left at day’s end is removed. Then the cycle resumes the next morning, for your entire lifetime. You can’t save any of it for the future. You have to use it each day when you receive it.

 

Our first reaction is probably something like, ‘Wow! I’ll take it.’ Or for some of us, ‘That’s more money than I earn in a full year! Sign me up!’

 

Of course, pastor Begg was using that only as an illustration. He explained: Each day we’re entrusted with 86,400. But it’s not dollars, it’s seconds – the number we have in every 24-hour day. In a sense, we get a daily deposit of 86,400 seconds into our time account to use as we see fit. We can’t carry over any from yesterday and can’t borrow from the future or save any of it for later use.

 

A common response is, “Well, there’s always tomorrow.” And that’s not necessarily bad. Many times, if we can’t complete a project or a task, it can be carried over to another day. Sometimes – as I’ve learned about writing – it’s actually better to set something aside, let it “percolate” for a while, even a day or more, and return to it later.

 

Then there are people so driven that they’re perpetually burning both ends of the proverbial candle, oblivious to the reality that eventually they’ll reach the middle with no candle left. But I think what Begg was getting at wasn’t resolving to fill every waking moment with activity and energy expenditure. Rather, it’s about recognizing each new day is a gift from God and we’d be wise to spend – actually, invest – the seconds, minutes and hours at our disposal in worthwhile pursuits. Especially if they can contribute to the advancement of the Kingdom of God.

 

In Ephesians 5:15-16, the apostle Paul speaks about this directly: “Pay careful attending, then, to how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil.” Reading in The Amplified Bible, we find a helpful elaboration: “making the very most of your time [on earth, recognizing and taking advantage of each opportunity and using it with wisdom and diligence], because the days are [filled with] evil.”

 

This doesn’t mean time itself is inherently evil. But perhaps in this age more than ever, it’s so easy to get distracted or sidetracked from things we desire to do or know we should be doing. Not necessarily bad things, but not the best things. As the Latin adage states, “Tempus fugit” – time flies.

 

Careless use – even misuse, or abuse – of time can result in missing out on a number of things. These could include valued interactions with family members, friends, neighbors, and colleagues at work; getting started on a project that’s been put off for too long; pausing to appreciate and explore some of God’s creation; reading an inspiring book; speaking a friendly, encouraging word to an absolute stranger; and spending much-needed moments with the Lord, reading the Scriptures and praying.

 

Rather than engaging in frenetic, non-stop activity, “redeeming the time” concerns the wise use of the minutes and hours at our disposal. This could even involve a timely nap, because we all function better when we’re rested. But it also includes keeping our spiritual antennae up, seeking to be sensitive to God’s “divine appointments.”

 

As Colossians 4:5-6 admonishes us to, “Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of every opportunity. Your speech must always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.” I’m as bad as anyone at keeping my head and eyes down, focused on whatever I’m doing, failing to recognize opportunities to be a blessing for others.

 

The Scriptures teach we’re to be “ambassadors for Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:20), making ourselves available to the Lord to be used as He directs, not only to nonbelievers who need to hear about Him but also to those who are already members of His eternal family. 

 

For instance, in Galatians 6:9-10 the apostle Paul offers this encouragement: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially those who belong to the family of believers.”

So, how are you doing in utilizing your 86,400 today? What are your plans for using the rest of it? Lord willing, you’ll receive another 86,400 tomorrow. But how you use your allotment this day could make a great difference in the opportunities you’ll have the next. We don’t want our epitaph to be, “There’s lots I woulda, shoulda, and coulda done.” 

A New Day: The Gift That Keeps on Giving

Did you know you’ve received a gift today? No, I haven’t been spying on what might be on your front porch. “Then what gift is that?” you ask. It’s a gift of a new day; the gift of life. Another opportunity to use your God-given talents, abilities, experiences and passions in an endless variety of ways, not only for your own enjoyment and satisfaction, but also for the benefit of others.

 

It’s easy to overlook this “gift.” We go to bed each night, often with a full slate of activities planned for the following day. We make plans for the next week, next month, even months or years in advance. All with the assumption that tomorrow, the day after, and the day after that will automatically come rolling along without interruption.

And yet, we know down deep that the next minute is not guaranteed, much less the next hour, day, week or month. I’m not intending to seem morbid or fatalistic, but simply to encourage a great appreciation of each moment that we have. Because the fact is, once a moment passes, there’s no way of retrieving it.

 

Having had several significant health episodes in my life, I’ve gained a much greater understanding of what a gift each new day is. I still remember the many visits I made as a cardiac volunteer, stopping at the rooms of patients who had just undergone open-heart surgery, as I had years earlier. Many of them also had a new or renewed grasp of the value of each day, agreeing that it indeed was a gift of great worth. Especially after you’ve practically been at death’s doorstep.

 

I’m often reminded of Ephesians 5:16, which talks about “redeeming the time” or “making the most of the opportunity, because the days are evil.” This is not to say that time itself is bad or evil, but that it passes quickly, and there’s no “lost and found” for missed opportunities. As the verses that precede and follow observe, “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise…. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”

 

Like many people, I wrestle with the temptation to squander time, to act nonchalantly about my use of it, as if I’ve got all the time in the world. Sometimes I succumb to that temptation, watching too much TV or surfing the Internet, or failing to recognize how a seemingly random personal encounter could be a divine appointment. 

 

While I know there’s no point in putting myself on a perpetual guilt trip for not maximizing every single minute, I try to be more aware of circumstances so I can truly “make the most of the opportunity.”

 

In terms of serving as representatives of Jesus Christ in a world that seems to have little interest in Him, another passage – also written by the apostle Paul – conveys similar sentiments: “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone” (Colossians 4:5-6).

 

There’s a lot packed into these two verses. We’re to use wisdom whenever we interact with people outside the faith. We should recognize opportunities for what they are. Rather than being argumentative or dogmatic, we should be gracious in conversing with them. And as we pray about what to say, our words should be “salty” in the sense that they might create a spiritual thirst and at the same time, not leave our hearers with a bad taste in their mouth.

Regardless of whether you’re reading this early in the morning, at midday or toward the conclusion of the day, it would be good to recognize the gift of today, and also the Giver. As Psalm 118:24 reminds us, “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” 

A Marathon with an Undetermined Finish Line

You have probably heard someone describe life as “not a sprint, but a marathon.” This is true on many levels, not the least of which being that a 100-meter or 200-meter sprint is over quickly after it’s started, while a marathon is a 26.2-mile endurance contest that takes even the best runners several hours to finish.

 

But the sprint/marathon comparison is an apt one also because starting is relatively easy, whether it’s an athletic competition, a career, a marriage, or any other endeavor in this experience of everyday living. Arriving at the finish line successfully, however, is a much greater challenge.

A marathon, requires perseverance, determination, and willingness to face adversity, even pain. When you participate a marathon, you’re in it, literally, for the long run.

 

There is one area in which the marathon metaphor for life breaks down. Participants in a marathon race know the distance is exactly 26.2 miles. And as competitors near the end of the race, the finish line becomes visible. The end’s in sight. In the “marathon of life,” however, the distance is uncertain. It’s different for us all. And we never know where the finish line is until the moment we get there.

 

How would you like to enter a race that lacked a definitive finish line? At the very least, it would be disconcerting because you could never know when it was over, right? As difficult as it is to admit, that’s exactly what our lives are like. 

 

We wake up each morning and start preparing for the opportunities and challenges of the new day. Over the course of the day, we might make plans for tomorrow, next week, next month or even next year. But rarely do we pause to consider there’s a finish line out there somewhere, unseen but real just the same. I suppose if we dwelt on that too much, we’d be afraid to get out of bed in the first place. 

 

For some folks, their “marathon” continues for many years. We celebrate those who reach the 100-year mark. We even have a name for them: centenarians. On average, people in the Western world live well beyond 70 years, and lots of them pass the 80-year mark and continue going strong. The length of their “marathons” is a very long distance from their moment of birth.

 

At the same time, we know of people – including friends and loved ones – whose lives were cut way too short, at least in our estimation. Infants, children, teenagers, young adults barely out of college, just getting started with their careers, marriages and families. Their “marathon” ended abruptly. The finish line came way too soon. 

 

When I started preparing to write this, I didn’t have any specific individuals in mind. Then came the tragic news about Dwayne Haskins, the record-setting quarterback at Ohio State. He had been working for an opportunity to start at quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL, but died when he was struck by a truck in Florida – just a few weeks shy of his 25^th birthday.

 

Being a longtime OSU fan, I took particular note. Besides the loss for his family and every member of “Buckeye Nation,” Haskins’ unexpected passing served as a somber reminder that we never know when we’ll reach the end of our personal “marathon.”

 

Why is this important? Why invest time and energy on unsettling thoughts about the relative brevity of life? Why not do just as the ancient Israelites said, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” (Isaiah 22:13), rather than worry about something we can’t control?  

 

I’d suggest it’s because even though we can’t know our quantity of life – the number of years allotted for us – we can work to determine the quality of our lives. 

Some translations of Ephesians 5:16 strongly exhort us about, “redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” This isn’t saying that time itself is evil, but days pass very quickly, and once they’re gone, opportunities they offered may be lost forever. That’s why the preceding verse cautions, “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise.”

 

Jesus told a story called “the parable of the rich fool” which illustrates this. He said, “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy, drink and be merry.’”

 

But Jesus concluded this parable with a grim punchline: “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:16-20).

 

He offered a similar perspective during His most famous sermon,” warning, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).

So, as we continue along life’s marathon, with no guarantee for how long – when the “finish line” will suddenly appear – we have a decision to make. We can “eat and drink, for tomorrow we die” as 1 Corinthians 15:32 also states, or we can strive to do as Jesus taught, to store up treasures for ourselves in heaven – and be rich toward God. Which will you choose? 

The Challenges of Handling the Times of Our Lives

Does it ever seem to you that time moves faster some days than others? Scientists will tell us that the passage of time is constant, but haven’t you had moments when you said to someone, “Man, it seems like today has gone on forever,” and they responded, “It sure has.” Or, “Wow, this day has just flown by,” and your friend replied, “Yes, I know!”

 

The years can be like that, too. In just a few days I’ll mark the 14th anniversary of my open-heart surgery. For a long time it seemed as if my surgery were just days ago; I could vividly remember the days leading up to it, the day I was wheeled into the OR, and the days, weeks and months of recovery afterward. But now, it seems like an entire lifetime ago. Lots of “water under the bridge” since then, as they say. That’s probably more than 500 million heartbeats ago!

 

When I was a boy, time seemed to pass at the pace of a slug. Days leading up to Christmas seemed interminable. Even the night of Christmas Eve seemed to be at least 36 hours long. Try as I might, I couldn’t fall to sleep, my mind racing with anticipation. It seemed as if daylight would never arrive. Now it feels as if fall lasts only about two days before sliding into winter; the Christmas holidays come and go in the blink of an eye.

 

Many Americans tend to be governed by the clock. We set alarms to wake up, have reminders to keep us on schedule each day, even pass on lunch breaks because, “I don’t have time.” In our latter years, however, we look wistfully back at our lives, wishing we had made time for important things in our lives rather than subjecting ourselves to “the tyranny of the urgent.”

 

The Scriptures tell us a lot about time, but not in the way we generally approach it. The book of Ecclesiastes, for example, offers a refreshing perspective:

“There is a time for everything, 

and a season for every activity under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot, 

a time to kill and a time to heal, 

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance, 

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away, 

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8).

 

For those of us convinced that we don’t have the time to do necessary things – because more urgent things are beckoning – this passage is convicting.

 

This is especially significant during a season such as this. Even with COVID restrictions, most of us to one extent or another want to continue with holiday traditions; we’re not about to let a little virus tell us what we can and can’t do. 

 

But it’s really not about squeezing the last second into our planning and errand-running. Rich or poor, executive or hourly wage worker, we all have something in common: 24 hours in a single day, 60 minutes in every hour, 60 seconds in every minute. The question is how we steward those seconds, minutes and hours. We’ll invest the time in some way – what will be the return on our investment?

 

Ephesians 5:16 offers these sobering words: “Redeeming the time, for the days are evil.” Other translations phrase it, “making the most of your time” or “making the most of every opportunity.” Time isn’t inherently evil, of course, but as the adage reminds us, “Time waits for no one.”

 

So how are we going to use it? Will our minutes, hours and days be spent on frivolous pursuits, matters we won’t even remember weeks or months from now? Or will we strive to keep alert, poised to recognize and act upon special, even once-in-a-lifetime opportunities when they present themselves?

 

Just a handful of days from now, Christmas will be upon us. Will we succeed in making memories, or will we spoil them because we’ve been too busy with trivial concerns? After that, we’ll barely have time to catch our breath before a new year emerges and, hopefully, doesn’t become a repeat of the year just past. How will we prepare ourselves for what lies ahead?

 

I like the advice of Galatians 6:10, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” We can’t go wrong if we do that.

Living for the Moment – Or Living in the Moment?

Ready or not, we’re officially immersed into the Christmas season. Retail stores, from Cracker Barrel to Hobby Lobby, have unveiled their holiday finest, 2019 edition: Trees brightly adorned. Snowy tabletop baubles and red-and-green finery in vast array. Familiar carols serenading us as we stroll through festively decorated malls. TV commercials bombarding us with “must haves” for our very special somebodies.

With these constant reminders, many of us already are anticipating magical moments. I know the Hallmark Channels are – around Christmastime, with them everything’s “magical.” Young ones envision Christmas morning, awakening to a tree surrounded by brightly wrapped gifts containing wonders soon to be revealed. Enticing aromas wafting from the kitchen, previewing a scrumptious dinner culminating with pies and other sweet delicacies. Over the next weeks the words, “I can’t wait!” will be uttered countless times.

Lots of people live for these moments. Of course, moments aren’t limited to Christmas or other holidays. We can live for the moment that we’ll depart for a long-awaited vacation. Brides – and grooms – live for the moment they arrive at the wedding site, exchange “I do’s,” and begin a journey together as husband and wife. A professional person might live for the moment when he or she earns the coveted title of “partner,” the reward for excellence, hard work and dedication to the firm.

The thing about moments, however, is that we await them for so long, then so quickly they’re gone. Here today – gone today. Then we’re left to consider what our next “moment” should be. 

Recently I heard someone suggest an alternative: Instead of living for the moment, why not try living in the moment?

Many of us tend to be future-oriented, always planning and preparing for something in the weeks or months ahead. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s fun to embrace upcoming activities and events with expectancy. But there’s a danger of becoming so preoccupied by days yet to come that we neglect to recognize opportunities of the day at hand.

In the Bible we read a lot about the future. It speaks about eternity, and life after death. Jesus said much about His return, His “second coming.” But the Scriptures also talk about the here and now, not becoming so future-focused that we become presently impoverished. 

For instance, Ephesians 5:16 warns about, “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Or as a different translation phrases it, “making the most of your time.” In His most celebrated public message, the so-called “Sermon on the Mount,” Jesus spoke about the dangers of going about our daily lives fearful of what might or might not occur in the future: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34).

One aspect of this could be concentrating so much on what lies over the horizon that we find ourselves stumbling over good things right in front of us. An example was when Jesus spent time in the home of sisters Mary and Martha. Apparently a consummate hostess, Martha was preparing the dinner she would serve. Her sister, however, “sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.”

The passage continues, “Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’ ‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed – or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:38-41).

Jesus wasn’t rebuking Martha for her kindness in cooking a hearty meal, but was simply showing her that while she had been living for the moment, Mary realized the value of living in the moment. After all, how often did Jesus stop by one’s house for a personal visit?

Pondering the comparison between living in the moment vs. living for the moment, I think of a man I heard of, boasting about the significant estate he was amassing, intending to leave it all for charitable purposes upon his death. Although such intentions are laudable, I couldn’t help thinking about how much good his financial and material resources could accomplish for people right now, rather than delaying such assistance for years later. 

Proverbs 3:27-28 seems to address this when it admonishes, “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you’ – when you already have it with you.”

Without question, it’s fun living part of the time for special moments – a favorite holiday, birthday or anniversary, or the vacation you’ve always dreamed about. But what about this moment? Right now? It could be holding some of the best memories of all.

What If ‘Tomorrow’ Never Comes?

Most of us are amateurs at the majority of things we do. We try our best, but we’re not experts. But if there’s one thing many of us are pros at, it’s pro-crastinating. (Have you ever met an amateur-crastinator?)

Tasks we dislike quite easily are delayed for another time. “Never do today what you can put off till tomorrow,” Aaron Burr is reputed to have said. Even though the one-time Vice President to President Thomas Jefferson apparently wasn’t thinking that when he chose to engage Alexander Hamilton in a duel, which resulted in the latter’s demise. 

We might not have his dueling spirit, but can relate to his sentiments. Sometimes even things we enjoy are postponed for another day. Practically all writers have perfected the art of procrastination. Writing is such a personal act, putting intimate thoughts into words and sentences and then onto a page – paper or online – and then submitting them for readers’ consideration. So, there’s a temptation to delay until “the right moment.” But I’ve learned that as with any worthwhile challenge, ultimately you must just suck it up and get to work.

Where procrastination can be most damaging is in relationships. Harry Chapin sang about this in his classic tune, “Cat’s in the Cradle.” If you don’t remember, it’s about a father who promised to spend time with his young son, but always found more pressing things to do. When he finally reached the point in life when he had the time, the now-grown son had his own slew of commitments. The best he could do was echo his father’s words, “But we’ll get together then, Dad, we’re gonna have a good time then.”

Recently I heard someone recite a poem called “Tomorrow,” by American poet Edgar Guest, that captures the perils of procrastination perfectly:

He was going to be all that a mortal could be. . . Tomorrow
None should be kinder or braver than he. . . Tomorrow
A friend who was troubled and weary he knew,
Who’d be glad of a lift and who needed it, too,
On him he would call to see what he could do. . . Tomorrow
Each morning he’d stack up the letters he’d write. . . Tomorrow
And he thought of the friends he would fill with delight. . . Tomorrow
It was too bad indeed; he was busy each day,
And hadn’t a minute to stop on his way;
“More time I’ll give to others,” he’d say. . . Tomorrow
The greatest of workers this man would have been. . . Tomorrow
The world would have known him, had he ever seen. . . Tomorrow
But the fact is he died, and faded from view,
And all that he left here when living was through – 

Was a mountain of things he intended to do. . . Tomorrow.

Lord knows I’ve done my share of putting off until tomorrow, perhaps more than my share. In recent years I’ve been trying to overcome that, especially with loved ones and old friends. When someone comes to mind that I haven’t talked with lately – or at least texted – I try to give them a call. When I think, “We really should get together for lunch (or coffee),” I try to make it happen.

We’re discovering how quickly our grandkids grow up – even faster than we realize. So I’m aiming to not be consumed by the urgent and instead focus on the important, such as spending time with one of our “grands” whenever we get the chance. Recently we went to church and enjoyed brunch with our oldest granddaughter here in town, and it was a special time. A rare opportunity.

Ephesians 5:16 talks about, “making the most of your time, because the days are evil.” Some translations use the phrase, “redeeming the time,” which I prefer because it presents the image of making a one-time redemption for a day or an opportunity. What’s “evil” about the days is that once they’re gone, you can’t get them back. They’re beyond redemption.

Another verse, Galatians 6:10, offers a similar idea as it applies to relationships: "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially those who belong to the family of believers." Tomorrow, or as they say it in Spanish – “mañana” – may never come.

As Jesus said, "as long as it is day, we must do the works of Him who sent Me. Night is coming, when no one can work" (John 9:4). Let's not be like the fellow described in Guest's poem, who figured there would always be time enough for doing whatever it was – tomorrow.

If Tomorrow Were the Last Day?

Most procrastinators embrace the motto, “Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow?” Sometimes that works for me. Realizing how much concentration and energy a project will require, doing it another day can have certain appeal. At times like that, emptying the dishwasher or going out to the mailbox seems easier than enduring the necessary mental agony involved with the creative act of writing – or the frustration of taking on a tedious household chore.

However, procrastination isn’t the antidote for every pressing deadline, responsibility or obligation. Sooner or later, things need to get done. Postponing them only increases the stress once we finally get around to doing them. And some things just can’t wait.

Recently I read a brief article about a noted author who had written a book about the Apocalypse, the end of days. The interviewer closed by asking him, “If it were the end of days, what might you do?”

The author quipped, ”I would write faster. I would have to learn to touch-type.” But it was his next statement that grabbed my attention: “I’d want to play with my 3-year-old a lot more.”

Ponder that for a moment. If he knew the end of days was upon him, then he would feel inclined to play more with his young child. However, since he didn’t think the “end of days” was imminent, playing more often with the 3-year-old apparently didn’t seem as urgent. It could wait.

I see several problems with this perspective. First, for all we know, the end times could indeed arrive tomorrow. It will happen, according to 1 Corinthians 15:52, “in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye.”

Jesus also warned, “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” (Matthew 24:42-44).

Second, even if the biblical end times doesn’t arrive for a long time yet, each of us face a personal “end of days” that might not be as remote as we suspect. Lots of people have left behind calendars filled with plans and commitments, totally unaware of how little time on earth remained for them.

Most important, 3-year-olds don’t stay 3 all that long, as I’ve discovered. Soon they’re 4, then 5, then 10, then teenagers. And suddenly, almost before we know it, they’re adults, married and starting families of their own. The time to take advantage of special moments is now, not tomorrow or next week. Especially with children.

This reminds me of the classic tune by Harry Chapin, “Cat’s in the Cradle.” In case you don’t know it or have forgotten, it’s about a father whose child “arrived just the other day…. But there were planes to catch, and bills to pay….” And in the meantime, the boy was growing up. The father missed pivotal moments, like first steps and first words, along with many potentially happy times together.

At the end of the song, the father ruefully realizes opportunities have been squandered, wonderful memories have never been created, and when he finally has time for his son, the son is too busy with his own life. The boy had always said, ”I’m gonna be like you, dad” – and he’s done just that.

A couple of weeks ago, one of my grandsons came to the house, wanting to “spend some time with Pop.” I had reading I’d intended to do, but remembered the day will come when he no longer feels a need to be with me. So I put my book down, and he and I played a game, threw a Frisbee and a ball around for a while, and pushed some toy cars down our driveway.

Earlier in my life, while pursuing a successful career, too often I was like the father that had planes to catch, bills to pay and deadlines to meet. Unique moments with our daughters that I wasn't around to experience couldn’t be saved for another day. I’m sure I missed even more than I realized. Hopefully, I’m doing a bit better with our grandkids.

Ephesians 5:16 talks about “redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” That doesn’t mean time itself is somehow evil or bad. But it never stops moving forward. There’s no pause button on the clock or calendar. Time waits for no one. Just as a coupon usually has an expiration date, after which it can’t be redeemed, special moments in life also expire. 

So we better cash them in as soon as they present themselves, because tomorrow, even an hour or five minutes from now, it may be too late.

In one way or another, the end of days will come sooner than we might think. What is it, if it were the end of days, that you would want to do?

Tackling the Time Conundrum

As I write this – a couple of weeks ago – it was one month after my wife and I were just arriving in Rome for our 12-day group tour of Italy, and one week since I was getting prepared for a heart valve replacement. I remember looking ahead to both of these events, along with the wedding of our granddaughter in Ohio several weeks earlier. Now, all three have come and gone, with new things to anticipate. And our lives go on.

Time is a funny thing. Science tells us it’s constant, that a minute is always a minute long, that a day is always 24 hours, and a year is always 365 days – except for leap year, when it’s 366. But have you ever had the thought, “This has been the longest day!” and then heard someone say the same thing? Conversely, occasionally we say, “This day has flown by,” and another person responds, “It sure has!” So, is time really all that constant?

My purpose is not to debate or conjecture the space-time continuum. I prefer to stick with things I know about. But what do we have that’s more precious than time? We might say it’s money, but for most of us, there are always ways of making or generating more money, whether it’s working more or selling stuff. However, we can’t generate more time – and we can’t really save it. You can’t put it into a safety deposit box, or stash it into a self-storage unit. It comes and goes, whether we’re ready for it or not. Today turns into yesterday in a flash, and tomorrow transforms into today before we know it.

When I was young, I remember summer vacations seemed to go on forever. But as I got older, those idyllic breaks in the educational process started moving faster and faster, until the summer seemed little more than a eye’s blink. As they say, time takes wings when you’re having fun.

As an adult in the business world, I attended classes on “time management.” If there’s ever been anything less accurately named, I can’t think of it. Because we can’t “manage” time. We can only use it as it comes and try not to waste the moments before they flee.

Not that we must squeeze every possible ounce of activity and productivity out of every minute. In Italy, it was interesting to see many shops and even restaurants close during the midday to give workers a couple of hours to rest. The Spanish call it a “siesta.” As I’ve written before, we Americans can become enslaved to the tyranny of the urgent.

At the same time, the Scriptures admonish us to “redeem the time for the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16). In other words, missed opportunities won’t return to give us a second shot at them. Sometimes this means working in earnest to meet an important deadline; sometimes it means savoring the opportunity to enjoy the company of loved ones and friends, even when speaking words isn’t necessary.

As Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 reminds us, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot…a time to tear down and a time to build…a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain…a time to be silent and a time to speak….”

There’s one other time reference that immediately comes to mind when I consider the Scriptures. It’s when God gives us time to interact with others about eternal, spiritual truths. As Colossians 4:5 states, “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.” Is there a moment when you can encourage another believer in his or her spiritual pilgrimage? Do it now. Do you encounter a non-believer who seems receptive to talking about Jesus? Speak with them now. 

And if God presents you with a situation where you can demonstrate His love and kindness to someone else, don’t hesitate: “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers”(Galatians 6:10). Remember, time flies!

The Curse of Not Living in the Moment

Maybe it’s the nature of a writer, requiring intense concentration to properly tackle the task at hand – whether it be an article, a book, or even an email. But when I’m “in the zone,” anything that interrupts my train of thought can be as disconcerting as having your car bumped from behind while sitting at a traffic light.

If my wife walks into my office to ask a question, or the grandkids stop by unexpectedly, I’m torn. I want to spend time with them, but there’s this “train” chugging along in my mind and I dare not let it get derailed.

I used to think I was alone in this, that it was just inherent selfishness and preoccupation with literary mission that caused me to often regard disruptions as inconveniences, rather than pleasant surprises. Then I read an entry in Philip Yancey’s excellent devotional book, Grace Notes, that confirmed this inclination isn’t unique to me.

Yancey wrote, “I tend to approach life as a sequence rather than as a series of moments. I schedule my time, set goals, and march onward toward their achievement. Phone calls, or any unscheduled event, I view as a jarring interruption. How different from the style of Jesus, who often let other people – interruptions – determine his daily schedule.”

Of course, you don’t have to be a writer to feel this way. All kinds of people feel annoyed when someone breaks their concentration. Heck, lots of folks hate being disturbed while watching TV, reading a book, or playing a video game on their smartphone.

Contrast that, as did Yancey, to “the style of Jesus,” whom we often see having His plans disrupted by individuals and by crowds. And without complaining at all. 

We see this early in each of the gospel accounts of His life. Matthew 4:24 tells us, “News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyze, and he healed them. Large crowd…followed him.”

Mark 1:40-41 recounts when “A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, ‘If you are willing, you can make me clean. Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’ Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.”

In neither case, or in the many other similar “unscheduled” encounters Jesus had during His earthly ministry, did He said, “Oh, man! What’s up with these people? Don’t they know I’m busy, that I’ve got more pressing things to do?” No, because as Yancey wrote, that wasn’t Jesus’ “style.” He perfectly mastered the distinction between the important and the merely urgent.

Sometimes I wonder how many opportunities I’ve ignored or missed out on, simply because I wasn’t willing to let others impose on or even reset my agenda for the moment. The Scriptures talk about “redeeming the time because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16). In other words, unlike money or other material possessions, we can’t acquire more of it. Once time is gone, it’s gone, never to be redeemed.

The refrain from the old hit song, recorded by Glen Campbell, Willie Nelson and many others, comes to mind: “Ain’t it funny how time slips away.” 

Speaking of which, a couple of our grandkids just arrived for a visit. Guess this would be a good time to take a break. See ya later!

Don’t Be Afraid to Say It!

A basic principle of advertising in any form – whether in print, on TV, radio, billboards, in movie theaters, or online – is the value of repetition. The more times people read or hear something, the more likely the message is to make an impression; hopefully one that prompts them to purchase the product or service.

During my time in the newspaper business, I served as a publisher for about a year. I’d occasionally talk with advertisers who complained because they’d received little response from the ad that had appeared just one time. “You have to run your ad more than once,” I’d explain. “It might take several exposures before people will notice it and decide to be your customers.”

This principle also seems applicable to spirituality, whether for people being drawn to Jesus Christ or believers growing in their faith. Usually it requires hearing something more than once before it sinks in and we start to act on it.

Writing to Christ followers in the city of Philippi, the apostle Paul wrote, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put into practice” (Philippians 4:9). Apparently, these people had numerous opportunities to hear from Paul and observe how his life aligned with what he preached. They were learning via the power of repetition.

This should serve as motivation for us to eagerly share with others what God has taught us over time, whether we’re speaking to believers, seekers, or even apparently ardent non-believers.

Reflecting over my own spiritual journey, I realize it was a long, cumulative process of being presented with biblical truth, meditating over it, and eventually resolving to implement it into my life. I can remember hearing many stories about Jesus as a boy, and reading the Bible as a young adult, but not until my early 30’s did I start understanding how to relate this to my life.

Recently I had an opportunity to converse with a young man about his education and career plans. His chosen field of endeavor is known for its antagonism toward Christian beliefs, but I commended him for his desire to serve as salt and light in such a challenging environment.

As we talked, I offered some insights I had gained over the years, offering words of caution and a reminder of the importance to commit to God whatever we intend to do. For instance, I cited my life verses, Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight,” giving examples of how this passage has proved meaningful for my own life.

My goal wasn’t to persuade him to do exactly what I said, but to plant some seeds of biblical truth. This might have been the only time I’ll see this young man face to face, and  was hoping to impart some wisdom I’ve acquired that might be useful for him in the future.

I have a friend who drives for a ride-sharing service and prays every day for opportunities to talk with his passengers about the Lord. In his affable, non-intrusive manner, he’s started numerous conversations by talking briefly about how God has worked in his life. His goal isn’t to “close the deal” evangelistically, but to demonstrate the love of Christ to people whoever they are and wherever they happen to be spiritually.

His hope is that God will use what he says either to move them closer to a life-changing relationship with Jesus, or to help them deepen in their day-to-day walk with Him. My friend realizes he might never cross paths with many of these people again, so he’s intent on “making the most of the opportunity” (Colossians 4:5).

Without question, we need to use wisdom whenever we speak with others about Jesus Christ. Especially strangers. Ephesians 4:15 says we’re to be “speaking the truth in love,” engaging with others out of genuine interest and concern, wanting to share with them the best news we could ever hear.

At the same time, we shouldn’t be timid when God swings open doors of opportunity. To borrow a phrase from the Seals and Crofts tune of the early 1970’s, “we may never pass this way again.” We might never know how the Lord will use the words we share, but if done in the power of His Spirit, we can be assured He will use them!