In the beginning God created TIME. He then placed things into space and TIME. Then he created MAN and placed man in TIME as a subject of TIME to live in TIME.
I say this to impress upon us that God created TIME and gives it to us human beings as a daily gift, moment by moment, heartbeat by heartbeat. Someday, during one heartbeat moment, the same God who created time and works in time is going to say, “That’s it. There will be no more time for you.”
What we do with that daily moment by moment gift very directly shapes how we will age physically, socially, and spiritually. And it will determine what kind of person we will become in our latter years. Today, not tomorrow, is given us for the one purpose of preparing ourselves for the future.
To properly prepare for the latter part of our life’s journey it is crucial that we begin by accepting the fact that we are going to die. Yes, each one of us will die. Life on this earth will come to an end. Until we break down that wall of denial, we will not be motivated to follow through on any of the other needed preparations.
Whether we choose to believe it or not, our relationship with death and our attitude about our own dying, significantly affects the way we live each day. I agree with those who say that we cannot truly live until we have accepted the fact that one day we are going to die.
How will God call time, ending my life on earth? When will God call time? Only He knows. How much time do I have left? Only God knows. How do I prepare for that end moment and the latter years of life that precede that moment? That’s the focus of this presentation and the ones to follow over the next few weeks.
During my 20 years as a chaplain at Menno Haven Retirement Community I often heard a resident comment, “I didn’t expect to live this long” or “I never thought I would get to be this old.” In those comments I hear the resident’s confession, I wasn’t prepared for this. Now what should I do?
Preparation for growing old gracefully and gratefully should begin during the younger, more energetic and busy years of life. Before we enter the latter third of our life’s journey and the retirement years. This early preparation is important not only for sufficient financial resources, but also for adequate emotional and spiritual resources to carry us through to the end of this life on earth and into eternal life in the heavenlies. Even so, we are never too old to begin changing our attitudes and behaviors regarding the ending of our life on earth.
Abram Schmitt writes, “I have a haunting notion that too many people live on too shallow a level. They miss the real joy of living. There is a depth of meaning to life that eludes them. If only people would permit themselves to face their limited life span, they would be forced to make the most of every moment. …There is no escape from death, but in this modern era people do all they can to avoid death, to delay it, and to evade all thoughts and conversations about it.”
The Psalmist prays, “Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.” (39:4). And again, in chapter 90, verse 12, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
Joni Eareckson Tada writes, “…of all the things to be counted, this is the hardest – to number our days. We number everything else so easily. We know how much money we have in our purse and how many dollars in the bank. Farmers number their sheep and cattle. Restaurants number the meals served in a week. Teachers check off attendance records. Gardeners can tell you how many tomato plants are in the backyard.
Yet we find it hard to number something so precious as our days. Perhaps that’s because we see our days stretching on and on. They seem infinite and so there is no need, we think, to number them. Things we fail to account for, we waste. That’s why it is wise to ask God to teach us to consider each day separate from the next, distinct in its purpose, unique in the way it is to be lived.” (Diamonds in the Dust, 1993, Sept. 14).
Contrary to popular thought, we do not live on borrowed time but on entrusted time. Each day is the gift of time that God has given us. Today is the day we hold in our hands to manage and use for God’s glory and our neighbor’s good.
As Bill and Gloria Gaither sing so beautifully – “We have this moment to hold in our hands, and to touch as it slips through our fingers like sand. Yesterday’s gone and tomorrow may never come, but we have this moment today.”
What do you want to accomplish before your time in this world of Time is ended? How do you want people to remember you? What are you doing with your fleeting TIME?
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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – August 25, 2021
Ray M. Geigley
Healing Rays of Righteousness 
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