There are several flashing lights in Scripture that ought to alert us as being far more important than they seem. One of these signals is time. Time is a dimension that God gave to nature. We register it, as he appeared to do in the creation account, and in several score events in Scripture including time related to the crucifixion and resurrection. The mysteries of time are played with by prophets relating to themes: When is the time of his coming? We learn that Jesus came in the fullness of time. This is to say that he came at the right moment, after a time for human readiness or preparation. The prophets seem to have caught the meaning, even though they were sometimes informed that the revelation of times was closed or limited for them. Mankind does many things to confuse the time perception. (Note: The Smithsonian, 1/2013)
Our purpose here is to address the theme as it relates to us in our time period. One of the mysteries of time is that the best or worst times arise for this or that. The project, the life, the objective rises, develops, levels off, and dies – unless attention is given at each step to maintain it. Sustainability is a vital matter for success. To some degree a life’s self-schedule leads to satisfaction. We are meant to recognize it, to grasp it, attend to it, and make our lives meaningful in the performance of time periods. I knew the time I should become a Christian, the day when I knew what I was going to do with my life, the person I should marry (and for the time to marry her), and so the story can be extended. This process is common enough for persons who are serious about their lives. Planned life offers advantages one seldom fully anticipates for self-fulfillment. Everything seems touched by chronology, even accidents hint at it. Life is serious and those who give attention to planning it will find that it goes so very much better than the lives of persons who live by whatever emerges day by day, with life signals missed. We can find our way in our time.
Israel stood at the border of the land, to enter. Spies were sent with something of a competitive spirit between God and secular objectives. The people believed the negative report of the majority of the spies, and demurred. When they saw how it disappointed Moses, they then proposed to go forward. Moses rejected the proposal. What he would have done a few weeks earlier he refused to do now. The window of opportunity closed. Invading without Moses, the army was defeated, and returned to wander in the wilderness until the elder generation died. The new generation went forward with success. The pattern is not uncommon. Jeremiah notes that there was opportunity for even Pharaoh, a leader not of Israel, but Pharaoh was simply a man of bombast – able to talk with much emotion, but unable or unwilling to act rightly. Then and now, it is interesting to follow stories of personal and corporate time management.
In the decades I related to students as a student, a professor, an administrator, a minister, a friend, I was often shocked at the failure of parenting in the omission of effort to identify some of the talents and desires of the children to be cultivated and advanced – so to make those children to become all that God meant for them to be. In the process all can find gratification, but it takes awareness. I was a part of a faculty at a college where there was always a large percentage of faculty children among the achievers of the local public high school. These went on with their decisions, education and experience to almost unrelieved success by giving serious attention to their lives. The faculty parents saw to it. Time of life is all an earth individual has to perform. It is irreplaceable. Life segments can be recovered on occasion, but one can’t count on recovery. We are warned to count our days. I value highly the days I spent with students who were guiding themselves to become mature, and enjoy their lives using life gifts from God, and that which came from them and their families. Their lives were fulfilled. I could contribute without interfering. The main decisions were in their hands/minds. Some of them continue among my friends. Bless them all! As I edit this page I am involved in the collegiate life planning for a great-grandson. I am comforted. This becomes larger for me than only family. There has never been a time in history when a person could choose so freely what he or she can become in the grace of God – as this day. We do well in remembering an often repeated statement: Redeem the time. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020