Lass Words — For the Sake of Time

Imagine someone stops you on the street and asks you how far it is to Atlanta. You would probably not answer in terms of distance. (“Oh, it’s about 100 miles to the east.”) Chances are you would respond in terms of time. (“It’s about 2 hours to the east.”) 

Ever wonder why? It’s because, in a very subconscious way, you understand that what the person is really asking is, “How much time out of my life is it going to take to get to Atlanta?”

Earthly obsession

We humans are obsessed with time, and we will do almost anything to preserve it. We drive our cars too fast, cook our food in microwave ovens, send text messages instead of writing letters, set up direct deposit to pay our bills and multitask our home and work chores, all for the sake of saving time. 

It might be helpful to ask ourselves what we are saving it for.

Is it not a bit ironic that we are often stressed out from being in such a hurry to save time so we can relax? I guess we figure we can use all this extra time to decompress and enjoy life, but often we are such a wreck by the time we get there that we can’t appreciate it.

We are conditioned to focus on the fact that our time on this earth is limited, and we are determined to spend as much of it as possible having fun, even if it kills us. 

No reason to rush

When Jesus walked the earth He tried mightily to convince His disciples — and anyone else who would listen — that time is irrelevant to the believer. For those who profess Jesus as Lord, He will prepare a place in paradise where we will live with Him and His Father forever. Our bodies will be new and perfect. We will love and be loved. There will be no stress and no reason to be in a hurry. 

Not everyone understood then, just as now. We are created to be eternal. We will live forever, one way or another.

So take a deep breath, slow down and spend some of that time listening to God’s will. You’re not on the clock and, as a believer in Christ, will one day experience a place where there is no pain or sorrow. And the best part? You won’t need your watch.