Where Did the Time Go?

“And when the day was now far spent, His disciples came unto Him and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed…”  Mark 6:35

Well, here we are already about half way through the second month of the new year.  My how time does fly.  There is a song by K.T. Oslin  entitled “Old Pictures” which is about looking through an old picture album and the memories which are stirred by seeing those old family photographs.  In one of the lines, she sings, “Who taught time to fly?  Who taught those years to just roll on by?”  Sometimes when I look through old albums, some of those memories brought back to my mind seem so long ago, but some things, even though they happened many years ago, seem like they occurred just yesterday.

When I was young, folks said that time seems to go by faster the older you get, and I can certainly agree.  The passing of time has not speeded up, but as I get older, I know that my time on earth is quickly growing shorter.  If I put this into a sports analogy, I would be in the fourth quarter of the game, but hopefully I am not too near the two minute warning!  Another way to put it is to compare a lifespan with the seasons of the year.  Spring is for the children, summer for young adults, fall for middle age, and, well you can figure out winter for yourself.  They, whoever they are, say that you are only as old as you feel.  Some days I feel old, and some days I don’t.  They also say that age is a state of mind, and I can agree with that.  When I was young, I thought that someone who was the age that I am now was older than Methuselah, but now, in my mind, I still consider myself moderately young.  I still like rock and roll, Ford Mustangs, blue jeans, and cowboy boots.

Each day that passes, though, is one less day to accomplish whatever God has for me to do, which leads me to ask myself, “What did I accomplish in 2018?”  Was anyone’s life made better by my efforts?  Did I put a smile on anyone’s face?  Did I share of my resources to help the needy and to spread the gospel?  Did I bring honor to Christ by my actions and my speech?  Did I do my best?  I would hope that the answers to these questions would be more positive than negative.  I suppose the best response is, like the Apostle Paul, to keep working toward the goal of being like Christ (Philippians 3:12-14).  I hope that 2019 will bring you and yours health, strength, joy, and a greater desire to know the Lord more deeply.