Where Has the Time Gone

As another year passes, you might ask the question, “Where has the time gone?”  You look at your children, and it seems that just a brief time ago they were in elementary school. Now they are adults with children of their own. You have an important home project to complete, but a year has passed, and the project is still incomplete. Your home needs remodeling and you think you have all the time in the world to get the project completed. But you know that it is not going to happen. You are close to retirement, but you have no plans for what you will do when you step away from your work. So, the question keeps coming up – “How has another year passed so quickly?”

The Bible notes that a lifetime is just like a mist or a shadow that is present for an abbreviated time and then fades away. Scripture says, “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14). It also says, “Man … springs up like a flower and withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure” (Job 14:1-2). The psalmist summed up his thoughts on time when he said, “Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away” (Psalms 90:10). Where has the time gone and what can we do about it? Here are ways to address the quick passing of time.

 1)    Recognize the brevity of life. “Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is” (Psalm 29:4).

2)    Live your life in a godly way. “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise” (Ephesians 5:15).

3)    Wisely use the time allotted to you. “Making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16).

4)    Determine that you need a personal heart change regarding time. “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).

5)    Plan ways to influence others. “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders” (Colossians 4:5).

The brevity of life should cause each of us to evaluate how we use the time God has given us. Soon, time will run out for us. We need to make an impact for the cause of the Lord before it is too late. Make sure your life counts for Christ, for family, and for eternity.