Time
Clocks surround us. They are in our cars, on our stoves, by the bedside, hanging on the wall, on our phones, and even on our wrists. Whether they measure the passing moments with a stately pendulum beat, automatically adjust themselves via satellite, or use precision quartz movement, they all remind us that time is passing.
While time can be measured with pinpoint accuracy, the concept of time is very much influenced by how it is used; thus, a two-hour visit with close friends can seem like a few minutes, while a two-hour wait in a doctor’s office can seem like days. Moreover, age is also a factor. As one reaches the point in life where there are more days behind than ahead, the old phrase, “time flies when you are having fun” is shortened simply to “time flies.”
The concept of time is also demonstrated in beginnings and endings. Ecclesiastes well illustrates this idea as the author notes that there is “a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace” (3:2-8). In these 14 pairings, the author is not so much seeking to give an overview of life as he is seeking to demonstrate that under the sun living is always characterized by an ending to what was begun.
The book of Ecclesiastes seeks to help readers not only understand time but the futility of using time in endeavors that at best are temporary. Thus, the author explains that money earned by hard work will be lost by a later generation; names of prominence will be forgotten; luxury will provide only passing satisfaction. The purpose of his writings is not simply to cast a depressing glance across the landscape of wasted years; it is to encourage readers to realize that life, as it is now known, will not go on forever and that each should be busy in matters of true significance. Ecclesiastes cries out for meaning and that meaning is found in Jesus Christ.
The apostle Paul was a man who painfully understood time wasted in poor endeavors. Though zealous, his stubborn ignorance in accepting the Lordship of the Christ led him to fight the very One for whom he would one day gladly and willingly die. It is likely these thoughts were on his mind as he admonished the Ephesian Christians to, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil” (5:15-16) as well as when he encouraged the Colossians to, “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time” (4:5). When one becomes a Christian, the concept of time changes and produces a rather oxymoronic situation: While there is a keen knowledge that the grave is coming and that every opportunity in this life should be seized for God’s glory, there is also the realization that the people of God have transitioned to eternal life. This certainly does not negate that all will die and be judged (see Hebrews 9:27); however, it means that the walk with God begun in this life will not end. Quite in contrast to Ecclesiastes’ beginnings and endings, a life begun with Jesus will only grow richer in its never-ending eternal proportion.
Practically speaking, what does this mean for the people of God? Perhaps this is answered in the verse of an old hymn written by Ruth Carruth:
Swiftly we’re turning life’s daily pages,
Swiftly the hours are changing to years;
How are we using God’s golden moments?
Shall we reap glory? Shall we reap tears?
As the song continues, she admonishes those who sing to get busy in their work of taking the gospel to the world. Simply put, the work of God’s people on earth is to live every day maturing into His image and seize every opportunity to bring others along on this heavenly journey.
As I write this article, I hear the steady beat of a grandfather clock built somewhere around the year 1810. It has survived several owners and now reminds me how “swiftly the hours are changing to years.” As we prepare to close another year, may each of us be reminded that we must be busy in the Lord’s service. Regardless of peace or pandemic, may we use God’s golden moments to His glory and honor; then, may we bask in the eternal goodness of God in a time when clocks are no longer needed.
