Time
Growing up I would always hear adults talk about how “time flies.” I was always so confused by that statement. I would think to myself, “What are you talking about? Time isn’t flying! It is so slow!” As I have gotten a little bit older I realize I am agreeing more and more with those adults from when I was young who said that time flies.
I’m not really sure what makes time speed up as we get older. Do we realize that we don’t have all the time in the world anymore? Is it because our kids are growing up in the blink of an eye that makes us realize it? I’m not completely sure what has made me realize it, but I do see that time goes by rather quickly. My oldest is 9 now! NINE! I think how is that even possible? Some of you reading this have adult children and are thinking, “just wait until they are adults!” Where does the time go?
Realizing how fast time is passing it makes me realize the importance of how I spend my time. It is so easy to be distracted in today’s world. We can get distracted by work, entertainment, sports, etc. There are so many things out there that distract us and take our focus off of what is truly important. What is scary though is that when we spend our hours and days distracted we won’t ever get that time back. It is important how we spend our time!
Throughout Scripture God reminds us of how important our time is. The one that sticks out the most to me is when Paul writes to the Ephesians. In chapters four and five he has been writing to them about walking in the way of Jesus. He finishes this section in verses 15 and 16 by saying, “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” Paul understood that we have certain opportunities as followers of Christ. Opportunities that won’t always come back around and it is crucial that we make the most of those. The question for us is do we make the most of our opportunities? If you are like me at all I’m sure you have some opportunities that you would love to have back. Maybe you’d like more time with someone who has passed away. Maybe you would like some time back with your kids. Maybe you wish you would have taken some time to share the Gospel with a friend. Whatever we find ourselves wishing we could do over again we have to remember that that time is gone. We can’t get it back. So as hard as it may be, we have to move forward and learn from those mistakes. We can’t waste more time wishing we had time back. We have to move forward and make the best of the time God is giving us now.
With all this in mind, ask yourself these questions: How can I wisely use the time God has given me? What do I need to do to stop wasting time? After you answer those questions take some time to pray and ask God to give you wisdom and discipline to use the time He has given you. Have a great week!
Joel Harper
