If I live to be 86 years old, then I am currently at the halfway point of my life. For reasons I do not totally understand, it is at this point in my life that many people experience what is referred to as a mid-life crisis, and I admit, I feel some of that.
When I was young, I couldn’t wait to get older. I saw my youth as a hindrance keeping me from doing the things I wanted so desperately to do. I wanted to drive. I wanted to have money. I wanted to experience individual freedom. As I saw it, the biggest hurdle to having these things was time. I had to wait to turn 16. I had to wait until I was older to get a job that paid a decent wage. And I learned quickly that individual freedom was an illusion.
I view time differently now. I attempt to view time in a biblically correct way. I don’t claim to understand this fully, but I think it’s worth looking at. Here are a couple Bible facts regarding time:
- Life is uncertain – James 4:14a says, 14…you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow.
- Life is short – the second half of James 4:14b says, 14…You are justa vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.
One of the troubles we face regarding these truths is that we don’t always believe them. We often believe that we know with pretty good certainty what our life will be like tomorrow. We also feel at times that life is not short, but that it is long, because sometimes it feels long.
The longer we live and the more we experience, changes how most of us consider time. For instance, if you’ve lived very long at all, you’ve already figured out that life is uncertain. Many of us have lost loved ones of all ages at times we didn’t expect. Many of us, though life has felt very long at times, look back at the years that have passed and are shocked at how fast they seem to have gone.
To be less troubled by the uncertainty and shortness of time, I think it would do us all good to simply remind ourselves, and one another, of these facts. No good comes from living as if we have control over our times.
Considering these truths, what do you need to do now, before it’s too late?
Much love!
Wes LeFlore (918) 607-8489 or huskerwes1@gmail.com
