The Sanctity of Time
Living in light of eternity
Another grain of sand falls through the funnel of an hourglass.
Another millisecond passes.
Another moment slips by.
This is a war humanity is doomed to fight.
A war where no ground lost can ever be reclaimed. A war where every moment is irreplaceable and yet all too often deemed inconsequential. A war where every second matters because any second might well be your last.
A war against time itself.
This war—this never-ending battle against the rampaging forces of time—has a simple name that encapsulates a limitless depth of meaning.
Welcome to life.
Life is brief
In the moment, it feels as if life will last forever; as if the steady trickle of sand seeping through the hourglass of history grinds to a halt in the presence of the here and now.
But it doesn’t last forever, and time halts for no one.
One second we are children, dancing in the sunshine, chasing ladybugs and dreaming of growing up.
And the next moment, just as we start to grasp the meaning of childhood, we find we have entered the next season—adulthood—without even bidding farewell to the last.
All too often, we presumptuously assume we have forever, only to realise too late that life changes and with it comes the necessary death of dreams, hopes, friendships and ambitions.
True, new replacements will spring in their place, but the reality remains the same—once a moment is lost, it can never be reclaimed.
As one of my favourite passages says, “The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you?” (Psalm 90:10-11)
Time will take its toll, gaining ground second by fleeting second, and there is nothing we can do to prevent it.
How then shall we live in this battle we seem doomed to lose?
The answer is found in the next verse: “So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12)
This a beautiful and sober reminder to recognise the brevity of life and yet see each day - each moment - as a priceless gift to be used wisely and unreservedly for the glory of God.
“Look carefully then how you walk,” says Paul to the Ephesians, “not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” (Ephesians 5:15-17)
The brief splash upon the vast canopy of time that we call life - this short, sweet, and sometimes sorrowful diary entry penned in the pages of eternity - is not only a gift but a responsibility entrusted to each of us.
God has made us stewards of His time.
He has breathed life into us and entrusted into our care a limited number of moments and a purpose for each one.
Do we live like that is true?
How often do we neglect the eternal and ignore the ticking time of our lives as we pursue what will never satisfy and what will never last?
Do we really make the best use of the time allotted to us?
Life is beautiful
The God who wove the stars into galaxies created you, with all your uniqueness and imperfections and oddities.
With the Psalmist we can say, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” (Psalm 139:13-16)
He gave you the gift of life, both temporal and everlasting.
He created you to live.
So live, truly live!
God created beauty and the marvels of science, rock formations and waterfalls, genetics and a myriad of eye-colours and patterns - He created this world to showcase His character and power, but He didn’t create it to just sit there untouched and unenjoyed.
When we revel in the beauties of nature and the joy of simply being alive, we are enjoying His work of art - this life and His world.
James reminds us that “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” (James 1:17)
Nature and life are good gifts from our Father. He created us to explore and to enjoy every aspect of His creation.
Our time here on earth is a beautiful and undeserved gift from Him, and no hardship or suffering can change that reality.
Life is precious.
It is limited.
And it is designed to be used to the fullest.
Life is for living today
When time is limited, we must live for today. In saying ‘live for today’, I am not calling you to live as if the present is all there is.
This is no mediocre, hopeless echo of the call to ‘eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die’.
Nor is it a semblance of the sophisticated and yet delusional philosophy that today is all that exists, all that is important.
Far from it.
The call to live for today, is to live each day making the utmost use of every moment for the good of mankind and the glory of God.
To live to please Him this second of this minute of this day, as if nothing else matters.
To live wholeheartedly and devotedly in His service, so that if this moment is your last, you will pass with a smile and the knowledge that with even your final breath, you loved Him.
To live for today is to exist with an unquenchable passion for life—but more importantly, for the Giver of Life Himself.
As Proverbs tells us, “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.” (Proverbs 27:1)
We don’t know what tomorrow will hold, or even if we will be given the gift of another day, but we do know that we can live for Christ in the here-and-now.
It is all very well to say, ‘I will serve God wholeheartedly after I’ve done this, or when I’ve reached this goal, or when I’m older’.
But all too often, once we attain that stage or milestone, we simply postpone our pursuit of Christ and move onto the next new goal.
We are called to be “living sacrifices” (Romans 12:1), not ‘in-the-far-distant-future sacrifices’.
This entails that our whole lives, every moment of every season - whether or not we feel ready and equipped - should be used to the utmost to glorify God, live out the purposed He has for us in the day-to-day, and enjoy Him and the life He has given us.
You are alive! The world is before you! But more miraculously, the Creator is with you!
Life is the gateway to eternity
Yes our time here on earth will run out…but as the last second of our allotted time fades away and we take our final breath, this is not the end but simply a step into eternity.
I hope these simple actions help you remind yourself of the preciousness of our time here on earth:
Plan for the future
Don’t take tomorrow for granted
Regularly recalibrate your focus
Dwell on the gospel
Every moment is a gift…live like it!
Our lives are short.
Our time is limited.
We are never guaranteed tomorrow, but what we are guaranteed is an opportunity in the here-and-now to glorify Christ and showcase His character and goodness through our lives.
So live for Him today, in light of eternity.
Loved this, thank you Holly!