Precious time

II Corinthians 4:18 (NIV)

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

The older we get, the more precious time becomes.  Yet, why do we continue to focus so much on aspects and things of life that are temporal rather than things that are eternal?  Paul contrasts the temporal (things seen) versus the eternal (things unseen).  I know my life, and perhaps yours too, has been consumed so far with the temporal—secular work and career, social life, exercise, TV, pursuing success from a worldly standpoint.  Yet our lives can end at any moment.  You and I both know people who were fine one day, dead the next.  With the time remaining in our lives, especially the older we are, we must transition to a life consumed with eternal perspective.

How do you do this?  Short of joining a monastery (maybe some folks should?) perhaps the best approach is to become more and more aware of how you are spending your precious time.  Are you purposefully taking more time to do more studying, praying, helping and serving others, encouraging others, seeking God however you can, and spend far less time pursuing the temporal things (e.g. working long hours, watching excessive TV, wasting time on selfish pursuits).

We are to “fix our eyes on what is unseen”.  That is a very difficult challenge for any human being.  It does not happen overnight.  It’s a process that starts modestly, just doing something different than the normal routine.  Perhaps fixing our eyes on the unseen is as simple as thinking about God as we enjoy a sunrise or sunset, gazing upon a beautiful flower, thinking about the order and beauty of nature around us, and/or meditating on certain Psalms that describe God’s nature (e.g. Psalm 65, 104, or 139).   Unseen things are matters of faith (Heb 11:1), taking steps of faith that you likely won't see results this side of heaven.  Investing time in serving and helping others without seeing benefits in return.  Storing treasures in heavens through selfless acts.  Putting others first.  Spending more time in Bible study and prayer and serving/encouraging others than what you spend watching TV or other temporal activity.  Maintaining a positive spirit despite whatever suffering you are experiencing, including whatever the aging process might be doing to you.  

Do you know how long eternity is compared to our temporal lives?  There is a 1000 cubic foot rock on a small island in the South Pacific.  Every 1000 years a bird lands upon that rock and sharpens its beak upon the rock for a few minutes.  When that huge rock is completely gone after infinitesimal beak sharpenings, a moment of eternity shall have passed.

Think about the priority of the temporal against the priority of the eternal.  How can you start investing more of your time and effort on the unseen things of life?  II Cor 5:7 says that you are to live by faith, not by sight.  There will always be circumstances of your life that you will never be able to explain, but you are to live by faith.  The things that matter for eternity are unseen things of faith and that's what should be the focus of your life's priorities as a disciple of Christ.  What can/should you do/be doing to make the most of your time left on this earth?