“It's no secret that the both of us are running out of time.”[1]
“Let me photograph you in this light in case it is the last time that we might be exactly like we were before we realized we were sad of getting old.”[2]
“But we had time against us.”[3]
When my wife bought an Adele album a couple of years ago, we spent the whole weekend jamming out to it – windows rolled down in the minivan, sound blasting like we were cool kids in college (forgetting cool kids in college don’t drive a minivan). We had no shame. It dawned on me as we listened to the songs on repeat… Adele seemed acutely aware (and terrified) of the fact that we cannot stop the flow of time – and that it goes by fast.
Scripture echoes this same sentiment:
12 So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12 (NKJV)
14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. James 4:14 (NKJV)
While I haven’t met her to ask, by the tone of her voice Adele seems totally freaked out by the ticking clock. And you know what? I get it. Before I was saved it freaked me out too. What if I don’t hit it big before I die? Will I leave a legacy? What if no one cares? And…oh frick! I’m one day closer to dying!
While in a sense my call as a Christian is similar, it has a different focus: how can I do the most to glorify God, share the good news of the gospel, and help others with my limited time on earth? But the really big differentiating factor – the thing that finally brought peace to my life in this area – is the promise of eternal life:
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 (NKJV)
17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (NKJV)
In my previous life, I was paralyzed by the fear that one day my timer would count down and it would be all over – and there was nothing I could do about it. I haven’t done anything to change my biological clock, but now I am released from the terrifying clutches of death, knowing that I have eternal life. I’m actually thankful that my hardship filled season on earth is exponentiallyshort in comparison to the glorious season to come.
- Nicolas C. Day
[1] Adele, “Hello”
[2] Adele, “When We Were Young”
[3] Adele, “I’ll Be Waiting”
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