Sunday, April 13, 2008

Wasted Time

Time. It does not slow or speed up. The moments just march by unaffected by triumph or tragedy. I was thinking about how time goes by- sometimes it seems like a minute takes an hour and sometimes it feels like a year passes in a single moment. Funny.

I know this thought has crossed many minds- how many times have I heard someone say- "wow, time really flies... where did the day/week/year go?"

Sometimes I find that I try to rush the day along. The moments seem too long. I feel like I am walking in mud up to my waist. Slow motion.

Sometimes I wake up and find that I am already behind in this race called "my day". One moment slips into another. I walk out the door with my cup of coffee, greet the morning, and it seems in the next instant dusk is settling and I am walking back through the front door- day worn and ready for sleep. Where did it go?

When I was seven I wanted to be ten, and when I turned fourteen, I couldn't wait to be sixteen. I wished the time between Christmas, birthday, and summer vacation would hurry on by. When school was in session, I couldn't wait for summer vacation. When Summer days got too long and hot I wished for Winter and snow. Of course, I spent as much time growing up as every other child ever has, but I sometimes wonder... why did I wish those days away? I am not sure who said it, but this seems to be the appropriate to say, "Youth is wasted on the young..."

No matter who we are, no matter what economical or social class we may fall into- we all have the same amount of time in a given day. And though I have no control over the rate that time passes, I do know that God wants me to use my time to glorify Him. We are told in Ephesians to redeem the time (5:15-16), to use the time we have wisely by not letting the distractions of earth pilfer it away. Someone said that a life spent in sin is a wasted life. A life that is spent preparing for eternity is an invested life, a rich life.

Now, instead of regretting rushing through childhood, or despising moments of boredom, I mourn the time I wasted and lost forever because of my sinful heart.

That is dark.

However, I want to end on a positive note- Christians are not hopeless. We do not have to live in regret and shame. God restores the soul (Ps. 23:3), and He gives beauty for ashes (Isa. 61:3).

Ephesians 5:15-16 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Isa 61:3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

Psalms 23:3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

2 comments:

Theresa said...

Very good article. Thanks for the insights.

The Arender's said...

Sometimes my mind lingers on those very same thoughts. I want to call back some of those moments that I craved change. I don't want to waste time, but sometimes I do look into the past and see I could have been more productive if I hadn't been wishing the time away. Thankfully, the Lord calls us to have contentment in our hearts and He is still teaching me that very important lesson. I don't regret the times I have longed for more of Him in my life. Thank you for sharing your thoughts Jodi.
Adrian

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