[374 words]
Time. We all have a limited amount of it. We all know this, but we ignore it and waste time anyway. We are so selfish with time, not willing to share it or give it others. Time is of the essence is a legal term used in contracts to emphasize the necessity of meeting the date or dates stated in the agreement. If one of the parties does not, that person is liable. Why must we have contracts to force us to do what we are supposed to do? So it is with life in general. We must often be forced to do the right thing.
We are so selfish with our time, as well as many other things. We hear people say, “I deserve some time to myself, don’t I?” I don’t know, do you? Did someone with authority tell you that? We are too concerned about us and not enough concerned about others. Everyone has responsibilities, many of which we created ourselves.
We get married have children and become a Christian. We have created responsibilities of great magnitude (Eph 2:22-6:3), all of which offer great rewards. If we wanted life to be all about us, we should have not made those commitments.
There is another area that we need to think about. I have found that growing old is filled with regrets. I look back and see all those missed opportunities. I now can see what was important and what was not.
Times in life come and go, never to return. The time we have with our children passes so quickly. Once they start school, time is shorter and then when they reach their teens, time is still made shorter. They go away to college and our time with them almost stops. They get married and move to have a job in their field. You now see them less than you ever did.
If you plan on molding them into the kind of person you hope they will become, do it now. If you want a lifelong relationship with your wife and/or your children, do it now. Put aside those selfish ambitions. Give yourself to God, your wife and your children now, because “Time is of the Essence.”
Bob Haley
via Calvert City church of Christ
Calvert City, KY