I met you oh so long ago
when you were just a babe,
Yet we have rarely chatted
For I can never stay.
In the past you’ve seen my face;
you would recognize my hands;
I travel all around the world
to many different lands.
I wink at you in the night
as you nod away the hours;
I suggest that you “seize the day”
and stop to smell the flowers.
Joyfully we’ve walked warm sands
as swiftly flew the years;
I’ve watched some days slip away
while you’ve shed many tears.
Sometimes I really anger you
when you cannot make me halt;
I humbly beg your pardon, but
it’s really not my fault.
Yet you gladly hear my ringing
when so beautifully I chime;
Who am I? You cannot tell?
I’m your old friend – Father Time.
For many of us, “Father Time” doesn’t seem to be on our side at all. Here we are at the start of another year, yet we’re still wondering where the last one went! Time is too often fleeting when we’d like more of it, then painfully lengthy when we’re in the midst of pain and suffering.
The Good News is that the Lord is on our side – and the One who made Heaven, Earth, and Time itself has gifted us with this season of life to get to know Him better. We can discover His purpose for us – something He has been well aware of even before we were born:
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
Psalm 139:13-14, 16
But what will we do with the time the Lord has blessed us with this New Year? Will we use it for God’s glory – or will we get stuck focusing on ourselves? Will our hearts desire more of that Heavenly Peace we sang about last month, or will we struggle with the same strife that bogged us down in previous years? Can we truly make each day count for Christ rather than counting down to the next “big deal,” weekend, paycheck, vacation, promotion, or party?
These choices are ours – given to us by a gracious God who knew us before our time even began. He wants to walk through life with us, and the Lord lovingly awaits our eternal presence with Him some day when the sands of time here on Earth finally do run out.
Happy New Year to you from all of us at Sonkist Ministries!
Thought of the Month
A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night. Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Psalm 90:4, 12
