Eternity Comes to Us in Time

Do you ever go to bed at the end of the day and wonder, “What happened to my day? This morning, I was committed to finishing this project and that book and making time for my friend who’s having a rough week and doing a little laundry and...about a hundred other things...and now, I’m at the end of the day, and I feel lost. What did I do with my time?”

Time is perhaps the most undervalued gift of God—at least while it’s being given to us. As soon as we’ve lost it, of course, we suddenly realize how valuable it was. Well, good stewards, it’s time to turn this pattern on its head!

In case you didn’t know, you are a created being, and one of the things that defines creation in contrast to the Uncreated is that we exist in time. It measures out our lives and moves us from our birth to our death. Like our bodies, we all have time—some more, some less, each according to God’s plan—and yet, we somehow let so much of our time fly by without doing anything with it.

Remember how we said in the beginning that everything God has put us in charge of must be offered back to Him better than He gave it to us? That we should turn a profit on each of the investments He’s entrusted to us while He’s away? Well, every minute is one of those investments we’re in charge of as stewards. We are responsible for making something out of the time we have.

It's sort of like this. Minus the glowing arm
...and the creepy economic system.

Now, I’m not talking about becoming a busybody, simply filling up our time with activity so that we feel accomplished at the end of the day. That’s like stacking and restacking your coins without ever taking them to the bank (not recommended by investment managers).

Instead, what I’m talking about is making the most of every moment that we pass through, investing in what will bring us the most spiritual profit. Sometimes this means motivating ourselves to take care of our responsibilities with joy and without resentment—you know, just doing our homework or chores without procrastination and whining. Sometimes it means stopping all the activity around us to make space for prayer and meditation. What it always means is living in the present moment without worry for the future or stress about the past.

In this way, we are able to allow God to enter into each of our moments, and when the King enters in, our fleeting, passing moments become tastes of eternity. Minutes and hours are most valuable because they are opportunities: opportunities to repent, to live, to love. Don’t waste even one more! Become a steward of time so that you can enter into eternity.

“O Lord make me to know my end and what is the measure of my days, so as to know what I lack. Behold, You made my days as a handbreadth, and my existence is as nothing before You; But all things are vanity, and every man living.” Psalm 38:5-6 (LXX)

This week's challenge: Reevaluate how you're using up your precious time. Before you let another hour pass, make sure you aren't missing out on better investments.