Urgency

There's a very unpopular perspective of time that, biblically, Christians are to hold on to.

In Luke 12, Jesus tells a parable about a rich man. Said wealthy person took much delight in all of his belongings (which, in fairness, was probably hard-earned on an honest day's wage). However, malcontent, our affluent protagonist set his hearts on accumulating more wealth and just living easy for the rest of his life. Then God calls him foolish and confronts him with the sole thing he had no control of--time.

I've come to believe that this rich man was simply living the american dream. He would work hard and save a massive amount of money so that he could retire and live an easier life. This is, after all, the sentiment that the current culture seems to broadcast to the majority of working, tax-paying americans.

Normally the common spin on this parable would be not to be so fixated on temporary things here on this earth. While there is value to this, it's important to keep in mind the other invaluable lesson here is to always consider that our time is not guaranteed.

This truth isn't particularly profound. It's not even that hidden; the overwhelming majority of people you will encounter would readily agree that tomorrow is not a guarantee. Yet, with this said, why is there disconnect with this truth and the way that we live? In other words, why is it that we know this and don't do anything about it?

Frederick Buechner perhaps says it best: "Intellectually we all know that we will die, but we do not really know it in the sense that the knowledge becomes a part of us. We do not really know it in the sense of living as though it were true. On the contrary, we tend to live as though our lives would go on forever."

I can say, with certainty, that there is a scintillating difference when you live on the premise of this truth. Every single time I talk with Glorie, I always make every effort to let her know precisely how I feel about her. It doesn't matter whether it creates an awkward moment or a treasured one, I will not be satisfied until she knows.

The reason I'm so fervent about this is due to the fact that I've already tasted what it's like to have time with her taken away from me. While she was sleeping I couldn't talk with her. And when I was told I couldn't talk with her I...couldn't talk with her. Now that I have some access to do so, not only do I lavish all the more with every moment that gets shared again, but I never again take for granted what I had.

Now if I could only approach life as a whole the same way.