Christian Living

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"Teach us how short our life is, so that we may become wise." Psalm 90:12 TEV

We tend to think wrongly about time, and it is true that there are many ways by which we may mark time; the truth is that time is relevant to us only on Earth and that does not minimize its importance, instead it magnifies the importance of time.

Listen to those who are 75, 80, 85 years old, they will tell you that the time has flown by since they were children and teens, but most especially as they were young adults with the duties and pressures of family and work.

Now, suddenly they are looking at their last decade of life, or perhaps even less time than that, and what have they done of those things they had hoped to be and to do?

One other factor that is cruel, if the elder allows it to be so, is that our culture does not permit the elders to be or to become, to continue to grow. I hear it in the Church with frequency, "The old folks had their day and now it is time for them to sit down and let the younger folks take over."

There is truth and error in the fabric of such a statement, but "sitting down" is not the truth part of it.

Because "time" is an Instructor of us all, the ideal mix of this matter is that the older and the younger work together. There should be a place for every child of the Kingdom in the Churches' life. The elders should listen to the younger, and the younger should listen to the elders; everyone viewing each other as valuable in God's Kingdom, because God thinks it that way.

It is next to impossible for the older persons to get employment, and for the able bodied, it is not because they cannot produce results in the market place; it is because of insurances and benefits that employers are required to pay for their employees. How do I arrive at this conclusion? Let the elder offer to volunteer without pay and see how many think the elder is an okay contributor for the workforce.

So, the older generation tends to sit down and shut up and lose their vision for life, becoming grumpy and negative, because that is the result for any persons of any age, if vision is removed.

I suggest that all elders, who would like to work, set themselves up as a Contracted Employee so that the employer issues them a 1099 instead of a 1040 at the end of the tax year. Really, the hesitancy to hire older persons is more about the benefits and taxes than the thought that the older persons are unable to produce.

Young persons' can also find employment by setting themselves up as a small, even one person business.

I cannot think of anyone that God has retired because of age. I do read of those He has retired because of lethargy and incompetence, due to disobedience. Therefore, let the Church listen up!

So what about this thing called "Time?"

"Redeem the time because the days are evil, (filled with trouble.)" Eph. 5: 16

"Redeem".. buy it back! Retrieve it! Use it wisely.

"Don't be fools then, but try to find out what God wants you to do." Eph. 5: 17

I was assigned the subject of "Time" to prepare a 10 minute talk for a preaching training class. I was horrified to learn that there are only 1, 440 minutes in a 24 hour period. There are only 480 minutes in 8 hours. We have so much to do in that time frame; and then the average American watches television at least 3 hours per day, and the computer time used is at the least equal to it.

If we work 8 hours and sleep 8 hours, theoretically, that leaves in fact only 8 hours to do the cleaning the shopping, the eating, exercising, bathing, clothes care, time with the family and neighbors, (a lost art), taking care of other business; and we wonder why we cannot get to our needed Bible reading and prayer! This is upside down!

Do we not need to "redeem the time?" Do we not need to put controls on the time we spend on things that are only entertaining at best? (Not to suggest they be completely obliterated, but rather "controlled.")

Then there is the weightier matter for us to consider: when "time" for us is over, and it will be at some point, how will we give account to God for the way we spent our TIME on Earth?

"Teach us how short our life is, so that we may become wise." Ps. 90:12 TEV


Ramona: 12/01/2014

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