Not Made for Time

This week a dear friend and deacon in the church I pastored passed into eternity suddenly and unexplainably from a torturous and mysterious ailment. He has left behind a stunned family and church.

A day earlier and 500 miles away, my wife and I sat by the bedside of another friend as she took her final shallow breath on earth. Two years prior, she had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and given only months to live. My wife provided hospice care, and our friend was blessed with two more years of active and enjoyable life.

As I write this post on my iPhone, I am watching my 97 year old mother, suddenly bedridden and in pain, quietly contemplate the valley through which she must now walk.

With every birthday over the past several years, we told mom that she owed us 100 years and after that she could renegotiate her contract and see if she wanted to “re-up.” Of course, it was a joke; and she would always tell us not to count on her keeping her end of the deal.

But as she closed in on 97 (her birthday was a month ago), she began affirming the plan: “I’m gonna make 100.” And up until a week ago her confidence seemed somewhat reasonable. At this point, however, the fulfillment of that fictitious contract seems very unlikely.

All of these recent sad events have pressed home to me an important truth: You and I were not created for time, but for eternity.

Death can come suddenly, interrupting all the plans you had for your “golden years.” Or it might be deferred, allowing you time that you were not expecting to have. Even if you live to be 100, though, death always comes too soon.

This is because we were never meant to die. We were made to live eternally with God. Death is the result of mankind’s rebellion against our Creator. It is the “wages” earned by all who work against the divine plan. It is unmistakable evidence of a plan gone awry, the “last enemy,” finally defeated by a Savior’s bloody cross and empty grave.

“There just never seems to be enough time!” We repeat that refrain over and over again. Whether we’re talking about projects at work, time with loved ones, the too-quickly-ended beach vacation, or even a century-long lifetime—it’s not enough! It’s over too soon! Why? Because we were not made for time, but for eternity.

“This is eternal life: that they might know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, Whom You have sent” (John 17:3).

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son; that whoever believes in Him might not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

*Please pray for the Womack family, the Metz family, and mine.