Sunday Meditation: Be in Time

O LORD, what is man that you regard him, or the son of man that you think of him?
Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow. [Psalm 144:3-4 ESV]

As you get older, every now and again something happens that makes you stop and consider the brevity of life. It might be the passing of a loved one, or it might be a child or grandchild attaining a major milestone in life (e.g., college graduation, or marriage). Or it might be something as simple as a birthday, like the one I’m getting ready to celebrate on Thursday. This won’t be a particularly significant birthday, other than the fact it marks another year gone. I know that kind of thinking depresses some people. It doesn’t depress me as much as it sobers me.

As a Christian, this Earth is not my ultimate home, and this life is just a fleeting breath compared to eternity. However, this life is not unimportant. The Lord gives us these years, months, days, hours, minutes, and seconds, and every one of them is precious. They are, each one, a gift. We can’t earn them, and we can’t get them back when they are gone.

How many hours, minutes, and seconds do I waste? How much time do I carelessly discard without a thought to the fact that time is non-refundable–once it’s spent, it’s gone? When my kids are looking forward to an upcoming event, I’ll often hear them say, “Oh I wish it was that day already!” I understand the sentiment, but I also remind them that they shouldn’t wish away those intervening days so readily. “Don’t wish your life away,” I’ll say. It seems this is something my Grandmother used to say, too.

What is wasted time? What is time well spent? I can’t answer these questions for you. For me, I simply pray that the Lord would help me make the most of what time He has given me.

With that in mind, I want to share this song with you. It’s an old hymn re-interpreted by Phil Keaggy called “Be in Time.” The words strike a chord with me. I hope they’ll bless you, and stir you to make the most of your time.