The Speed of Time

Posted by on June 1, 2003 under Bulletin Articles

When I was a small boy, “good” things took forever to arrive-birthdays, breaks from school, vacations, Christmas, etc. The small boy saw time as an enemy. When I became a teen [thirteen] time still crawled. The “really good things” were terribly slow to arrive– sixteen, driver’s license, graduation from high school, etc. When high school graduation occurred, time moved faster, but it was still slow–four years in college were faster than the four years in high school, but they were still slow.

As I grew older, time gained momentum. Thirty came fast. Forty came faster. Fifty came too fast! Amazingly, sixty came even faster! In fact, in our 60’s we ask ourselves, “Did my forties really have ten years?” From listening to those in their seventies, eighties, and nineties, they ask about life what I ask about a decade: “Where did it go? How can time move so quickly?”

To the joyfully married, after a year of marriage, did it seem strange to think about ever being single? A happy marriage makes happiness as a single seem strange! May I ask all who transitioned from being a couple to being parents to remember. Remember how fast that tiny infant grew? How much time did it take to go from seven pounds to fifteen pounds? From fifteen pounds to a toddler? From a toddler to four years old? From four to kindergarten? From kindergarten to elementary school? From elementary school to junior high school? From junior high school to high school? From high school to an “empty nest”? During the “present,” it seems to be a long time. When it becomes the “past,” it seems incredibly short.

Use time thoughtfully, carefully. Treat time with respect. Regardless of how we use life, the truth is that death is only one breath away. Do not live life in fear. Let the Lord teach you how to live in faith. Please, do not “waste” time–when it is gone, it cannot be recalled, changed, or redirected. The only moment we can redirect is the “now” moment. Only the “now” moment is subject to our decision.

Ephesians 5:15-17, “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”