“Before You Know It”

It is hard to believe that August is here. Where did the summer go? It seems like only yesterday that the kids were just getting out of school; and now, they will be back in class in about a month from now. Time just keeps going, regardless if we want to move with it or not.
Before you know it, the holiday season will be here, as we celebrate Thanksgiving and Advent once again. Right around the corner from that will be 2023. Everyone will become a year older, many will celebrate another anniversary, and some will move even closer to retirement and the ‘Golden Years’.
Yes, before you know it, many people will ask themselves, “Where did the time go?” For some, that will come with a price. You see, many people keep placing unfinished and unresolved items on their agendas, only to see time slip away with those issues still unaddressed. For some, it may be a trip to see a far of loved one. For others, it might be a return to college to advance their education. Still others may procrastinate in reconciliation with a family member, friend or colleague.
These and many other issues that seem to be pushed back as time progress find such issues never getting addressed as time expires in life. People pass on and the Bible promises that one day, we will pass on, as well. Hebrews 9:27 affirms that in the natural course of things, all of us willcome to our expiration date and pass on to eternity.
This is why it is so vital that we make the most of every opportunity, every moment, and every situation to accomplish in life what God has called us to. Ephesians 5:15-17 explains this notion of making the most of the prospects that come our way.15 “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”
Opportunities knock at our door on a daily basis and some of those opportunities are things that we are compelled to do, but we procrastinate, instead. Saying “I love you” or “I am sorry” to people that we know we ought to say such things may evaporate as time runs its course, and eventually, runs out. Time should never be taken for granted nor should it be presumed that there will be other opportunities that will come along.
A more critical issue is the message we carry for the Lord when it come to the salvation of others. God has appointed his believers to broadcast the “Good News” to the people in our lives. It is unforunate that people leave out of this world not knowing the salvation of the Lord simply because the believers areputting off delivering the ‘message’, waiting for a more opportune moment or situation. 2 Corinthians 6:1-2 Paul writes, 1 “As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. 2 For he says, ‘In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.’ I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation”.
No one has the promise of tomorrow and we are not guaranteed more opportunities to deliver the message of hope to the one that is hopeless. God places us at our crossroads with other for good reason. God also knows who the best person is when it comes to bringing the message of the ‘Good News’. That person could be you!
Yes, before you know it, time will run its course. The future will become now, and now will become the past. If we are not mindful and careful, we can be standing at a place in the midst of living out our agenda of life and asking, “Where did all the time go?”