WHERE DOES THE TIME GO

Three sisters were living together at their older age. One night the 96-year-old drew a bath. She puts one foot in a pauses. She yells down the stairs, “Was I getting in or out of the bath?” The 94-year-old yells back, “I don’t know. I’ll come up and see.” She starts up the stairs and pauses. Then she yells out, “Was I going up the stairs or down?” The 92-year-old is sitting at the kitchen table having tea and listening to her sisters. She shakes her head and says, “I sure hope I never get that forgetful.” She knocks on wood for good measure. She then replies, “I’ll come up and help both of you as soon as I see who’s at the door.”

Oh my, as the days and years go by you can’t help but wonder where the time goes. Here we are almost to the end of another year already and I am left thinking about what was accomplished and what was not. What are my plans for this upcoming year? And then I am another year older. What will stop me from doing more this upcoming year because of my age maybe. None of us can stop time. And no one can go back to their early years. And just like these three sisters most will be able to relate at some point.

So where does that put us with serving God. Do we ever retire from that? Do we stop because our body does not function like it used to? Or do we sit back and allow the younger generation to take things over. All while we sat in the stands and cheered loudly.

God insisted on reminding us of some things in Hebrews 11. In every verse He wants to send us a message about the past. One of those was in the above verse. Do you remember that Abram (His early name) according to Genesis 12:4 was 75 years old when God first called him to go into Canaan. In other words, Abram was old in age when he really started serving God. What I see here is that Abram’s best was not in the past, but his best to give was in his future. It was before him and not behind him. Ever wonder as I do what you will have left to give the older you get? Does it seem like your best days are gone, and all you have left is sitting in the stands. I am glad that God doesn’t think so. Abraham as God would call him later serves as an example of what God will still do through us even in our old age if we just have a little faith that God can. I will admit that I am one that is terrified of doing less for Christ. I do not want that. I want to do more every year of my life, but the world says we can’t. We are getting older and can’t do the same things as we used to. But God says through faith, in our older years he can do more through us than He ever has. Things are not getting worse; they are getting better. Our time is not the same as God’s. One day to us is like a thousand years for him. Where does the time go? It’s right where God planned it to be.