Time.

James 4:14

"What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes."

I read this passage during my PBJ (prayer, bible, journal) time on October 1st. Although this isn't what I journaled on that day, I felt prompted to just write it down. 

Over the last few weeks my brain has been flooded with thoughts on this concept of time.

What is time? 

I have been living in Mexico for three months now. When I think about it, that sounds like quite a while, but at the same time, it feels like I just got here yesterday. Lately, I have been struck with the thought of how soon I am leaving. I still have quite a bit of time left here, but I know that it is going to fly by. The first three months went by so incredibly fast, so I know the next few will be the same, especially with the holidays approaching.

In the past two weeks God has continually brought this reality to my attention... you are a mist. When we are driving down the road, the thought pops into my head. When I am teaching my students, walking to the store, going to bed at night, playing with the kids I live with, reading my bible... you are a mist. 

Time is so precious. I would be lying if I said I haven't taken some of my time here for granted. We all do it. I think it's a part of our human nature. We can all think back to certain memories that we wish would last forever. There are special moments in our lives that we never want to end. There are also moments in our lives that we wish we could forget forever. Things we would do anything to take back. It is all a part of time. 

The bible talks about time in Ecclesiastes 3. Verse one says, "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." It goes on to say that there is a time to be born and a time to die, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to seek and a time to lose, a time to keep silence and a time to speak, etc, etc. 

There is a time for everything. The good and the bad. The happy and the sad. The fun and the boring. The exciting and the dull. The joy and the pain. EVERYTHING. Knowing this reality, you'd think we ought to make the most of all of our time here on this earth. 

In the grand scheme of things, our lives really are a mist. We are only on this earth for such a short time. I think that God has put all of this on my heart to show me that these next few months are precious. Every single moment of them. And I can't take them for granted. I need to thank God for every moment that I have left here, no matter what it brings. 

What times are you taking for granted? I encourage you to pray and ask God to reveal to you how you value this crazy concept of time. I also encourage you to savor every single second of life, because before we know it, it will all be over. 

My last thought...
How cool is it that for those of us who have our hope in Christ, time will never end. We are living for eternity. And someday that time will be perfect. Forever and always.