Good News October 2017 Broward

When younger, most peo- ple don’t give much thought to time. It seems to be unlimited, and we don’t have a concern about running out of it. Eventu- ally we cross a line in time when our mortality confronts us. We realize we have less time in front of us than behind us. Some call this mid-life cri- sis. I call it the existential crisis. It is a time to examine the meaning of our life in light of this scarce and valuable com- modity we call time. Take time today to reflect with me on your time, so you can use what you have left more wisely. The brevity of life The great secret of life dis- covered after living a lot of it is how fast life goes. Yet, young life seems to stand still at times. Remember Christmas eve, the longest night of the year when you were a kid. How about waiting to turn sixteen so you could get your driver’s li- cense. Then one day you no- ticed time began to speed up. At first it wasn’t too bad, but eventually you wanted it to slow down and it wouldn’t. By the time your mortal aware- ness hit you it actually started to go faster. The sand started flowing through the hourglass taking your life with it no matter how you tried to slow it down. The Bible teaches us about both the brevity and un- certainty of life: “Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath” (Psalm 39:5). “The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; they are soon gone and we fly away” (Psalm 90:10). “... 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 do this or that” (James 4.14). Time is our most precious commodity; once spent it is gone forever. The sooner we start to value it the better off we will be. We will no longer waste or “kill time.” Once I understand this truth, how do I maximize time? Teach us to number our days The creator of time is God. He made it as a structure for us to live in for a while. There is something beyond ENCOURAGEMENT 36 october 2017 Good News • broward edition 5)634%":0$50#&3 108&3-6/$) UP 1.BUUIF 508&3$-6# UI 'MPPS /HDUQ KRZ \RX FDQ OLYH DV DQ HIIHFWLYH 0DUNHWSODFH $PEDVVDGRU 9LVLW 0DUNHWSODFH$PEDVVDGRU FRP 3OHDVH 5693 -LOO &DUULRQ MFDUULRQ#PPGSD FRP 41&",&3 #JM4UPST "SDIJUFDU DCNDDPN -VODIFPOTBMTPIFMEJO#PDB3BUPOPOUIFTU5VFTEBZBOE JO8FTU#SPXBSEPOUIFOE5VFTEBZPGFBDINPOUI 7JTJU'-$#.$$0.GPSEFUBJMT Time: A Reflection John Hawkins, Sr. Gateway Counseling (Continued on page 37)