Time Flies
Time Flies, but You Are the Pilot
Do you ever find yourself asking the question, “where did the time go?”. As I get
older, that feels like something I find myself asking quite often. Whether it’s in a
small sense of losing track of time out on the golf course, or a larger scope of
seeing 28 years of my life pass in what felt like mere seconds. The strange thing
about time is that no matter how fast or slow it may seem, the clock still ticks at
sixty seconds per minute, sixty minutes per hour and twenty-four hours per day.
Not too long ago I remember hearing my dad use a particular phrase in one of his
sermons, and as soon as he said it I knew I had to write that down because it was
going into my next bulletin article. He said, “time flies, but you are the pilot”.
This phrase got my attention because it brings up such a strong reality that I
think we forget about. Regardless of your status in life, we all have control over
how we spend our time. It is important to understand that because time is very
limited on this earth, and it is up to us to make the most of each second that we
are here. The apostle Paul stressed the importance of this in his letter to the
church of Ephesus when he said, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as
unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.”
(Ephesians 5:15-16). Our time on this earth is very important, and the truth is
we’ll never get back those days we spent on things that are empty and of no value.
We’ll never get back the days we spent in the pursuit of what the world deems to
be important and what defines your success in this life. Our time here is too finite
and too precious to spend on burdens, stresses, and the things of this world. This
is an important point that James stresses in chapter 4 when he says, “Come now,
you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend
a year there and trade and make a profit’— yet you do not know what tomorrow
will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and
then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this
or that.’” (James 4:13-15). To clarify, there is nothing wrong with enjoying our
time on this earth. In fact there are countless passages that talk about enjoying
the fruits of labor, but it is important to understand that we are called to a higher
purpose in life. Our ultimate goal is to reach heaven, but in order to do that we
have to use our time here wisely to grow closer to God and go about doing his
work. Psalm 90:12 says, “Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of
wisdom”. This is not something that comes naturally, but through prayer and
supplication God is able to provide wisdom for each of us.
I came across this story that I believe helps illustrate how time passes:
Once an old man and a young man were sitting on the shore of a wild and stormy
river. “Master,” the student asked, “why does the time flow straight, but always
ripples, either slowing down to a complete stop, or racing like a cow with a thistle
under her tail?” The teacher looked at the seething water and answered: “You see
there are a few large stones in the river and a lot of small pebbles. Imagine that
the river is your life. If you will only rejoice over big occasions – like your
wedding that will happen next month, or like a new baby that you will have after
one year, or a new business that you will start after five years… – then you will
cross your life in a few jumps, like jumping from one stone to another. Otherwise,
if you move in small paces over the pebbles, taking joy in small things: a sunny
day, the beauty of an autumn forest, a good conversation, then later looking back
at your life you won’t see ten big stones, but lots of your own traces, and each of
them you will be able to remember with a happy smile. And you will see that the
road you have crossed is much longer.” “But teacher, when I love or when I do
the work that I like or when I have a talk with friends – the time flies fast. But the
time drags so long when I’m hurt, when I’m afraid or when I feel lonely.” “You
see,” the old man answered wistfully, “this is what it should be. When we are
unhappy, we don’t live but we only exist, so the time lies still in our wallets. And
only for our happiness we pay the ringing coin of time, that we still have left.”
My prayer for each of you is that you seize each moment, making the most of your
time here on this earth. Treasuring those moments with the ones you love and
ultimately being wise with your time as you strive to be closer with God. Because
at the end of the day, if you’ve missed heaven, you’ve missed it all.
- Caleb White
Speak when you’re angry, and you’ll make
the best speech you’ll ever regret.
_____
Men complain that their days are few and then
act as though there will be no end of them.
_____
Ability will get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there. - John Wooden
View Full Content Source:
https://www.cedarparkchurchofchrist.org/resources/articles/2025/04/01/time-flies
