Time Flies

The writer of Ecclesiastes told us “to everything there is a season.” Everything has its time. We are entering into a new season of time. We have a new year with a new clock. What are we to do with it?

Times have four basic meanings for us. Time is a gift, a responsibility, a commodity and an enemy.

Time is a gift. The Bible says we are given seventy years and then an ending (Ps. 90). We are to give an account of what we did with time. Time as a responsibility must be measured out. We are to do something with the time and report on our use of it.

We sell our time for our hourly or investment wage. Each dollar represents a period of time from our life. We are to bank and spend it in ways that most glorify God and bring the highest returns.

I like to read at least 40 books a year. This year it’s been more like 30 books. And that included several pretty short ones. But my TV watching has gone up. I want to change that in ’09. I like to assess how I use my time so I can improve.

I also left 12 unused vacation dates in ’08. This reflects an imbalance in my life in ’08. I neglected family and myself. This year I am going to use it all.

There are seven distinct seasons to life:

1. Season of learning
2. Season of experimentation.
3. Season to invest/sowing.
4. Season to share.
5. Season to mentor
6. Season of reaping.
7. Season to enjoy.

All these events are to be experienced in some measure during all seasons of life.

But there are seasons of life where the individual phases of life are predominant.

The learning season describes our younger years. Our age has not emphasized this enough. For forty years the young have been treated like they know more than their elders.

Experimentation represents our young adulthood. This is an era where we give ourselves to trying new ventures in life. We marry in this phase. We try and find our careers. And it is often a season of spiritual experimentation.

The season to invest in your kids, your career and financial security is the next phase. Care should be given to sow and save and prepare for the seasons ahead. This is a time of the most expensive investment in our kids. We should be investing in habits that build the Kingdom into our hearts. You will reap what you sow in this phase.

The season to share. We are experienced to share what we have learned with others.

This usually begins at mid-life and beyond. All of us are a storehouse of skills and insights designed to be shared. We also have seasons where we are called to give more.

Mentoring is taking the time to help others succeed. The happiest people I know are those who have turned their life experience in ways to help others. The major question in this season is, whom are you making a success?

Enjoying all the rewards that life has brought is the reward of a life well lived. We have seasons where we reap the rewards of all our living up to this point. Returns on investments have had time to collect and build. We move from parenting to grandparenting.

The final stage of life is designed to be one of enjoyment. In this phase we get to look back on a life well lived. These are years to look forward to. Our near worship of youth has eclipsed the importance of this phase. The community is to make certain that the elders are respected and this phase of their life is understood.

So consider your season and give it your all with insight. If your season is learning, then be a great student. If investing, invest wisely. If the season is mentoring find a setting where you can share what you have learned with others.