ROCKWALL, TX (October 12, 2014) Time – it is that which we all possess. It is very valuable to all of us, but cannot be purchased, only spent. Time is priceless, but it costs us nothing. It is kind to some and harsh to others. Time can be killed, but not destroyed. It can be redeemed, but it is never in bondage. We can waste it, but the supply never runs low.
Time can get away but it never leaves. It can stand still and always keep moving. It can be invested and it multiplies in other things. We say, “When I get time,” but we already have it. We say, “Give it time,” but we can’t give it, it just continues.
Yep, time keeps marching on and we are in the parade, like it or not. Then it turns around, stares us in the face and we call it “Father Time.” Maybe that’s because we want it to be kind to us.
Dr. Seuss said, “How did it get so late so soon?” Well, I don’t really know, but I know that it did and it continues to get later and later, quicker and quicker. Our lives in the midst of this thing called time seem akin to nailing Jell-O to a tree sometimes. It’s slippery; it gets away and before you know it, opportunities are gone forever. So, there is, quite frankly, no time to waste.
What do you want the remainder of your life to look like? What is passed is gone forever and we cannot dwell on that, except to learn from it; what worked and what didn’t. But we can look to the future. The Bible says it this way, “forgetting what lies behind and straining toward the future.” (Philippians 3:13)
Mother Teresa agreed, “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.” Yes, let us begin with the rest of our days and make the hours and minutes count for something significant.
Ok, pardon me while I step back up on my soap box briefly, but have you ever seen so many people giving themselves to so many foolish, useless, inane things and activities as is happening today? There is no reason to go down that road today, other than to say that “time wasters” are everywhere. It seems that the more ridiculous or outrageous, the more notoriety one gets.
But let’s slow down and remember that your “time” will be remembered as the “dash,” as expressed in the poem by Linda Ellis. The point is that on your tombstone there will be two bookend dates; the date you enter and the date that you exit. The dash between them is your time, the time you spend on this earth.
One day the memory of each one of us will only be a dash on a cemetery tombstone for passersby to ponder. What happened in our dash will be lost and forgotten, or it will be significant and important to someone. Someone said “Life is a one-time offer, use it well.”
That’s true. We get one shot at life with an uncertain amount of time thrown in. We can burn it up on ourselves or we can invest it wisely in things that matter.
For those who do not consider themselves to be “religious,” I would encourage you to find a positive cause, activity or goal that actually helps others. It will not rack up points with God, but you will feel like you have contributed to the cause of good. And you will have. Time’s a wastin’! Secure your dash!
For the Christians that are reading, it’s more than just a legacy of time passed. The only thing you will ever truly have is what you deposit on the other side. So, get past the dash. The dash is your time allotment before going to the other side. The Apostle Paul said it forcefully and succinctly, “Make the best use of time because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:16)
Do it now; for human good or for eternity, it is never too late to start doing what is right. The days are certainly evil and many need our help.
“You may delay, but time will not.” ~ Benjamin Franklin
By Blue Ribbon News special contributor John Adams of Rockwall. John is in telecom sales and also serves as an Associate Pastor at Poetry Baptist Church. He is active in the Rockwall Breakfast Rotary. Visit his guest columns at BlueRibbonNews.com and his blog at written4u.com.
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