Where Does a Year Go?
Growing up, I used to find it funny that whenever my family and I reached the end of a trip or holiday, our mom would always exclaim that she didn’t know where the time went or how it could possibly pass so quickly. That hasn’t changed over the years. Even now she will often say that there is never enough time to do all the things she has to do.
Time is always moving, and for some of us it feels like it’s running faster and faster. I don’t know if it’s a sign of aging, but this past year has definitely felt that way for me. A couple weeks ago, Jess and I celebrated our daughter’s first birthday. This past week marked a transition back into a new work routine for Jess after a year of maternity leave. And of course, the world has now been in this COVID-19 pandemic for over 15 months.
As I pause to look back on this year, I can’t believe how quickly it has passed. In some ways it feels like just yesterday that we held Clara for the first time, and in other ways it’s hard to remember life without her. When I was little, a year felt like an eternity, and now I wish time would just slow down. Where did this year go?
Scripture has a lot to say about time. There are many passages that speak about life unconfined by time - especially the eternal life that we hope for in Jesus. But there are also important passages that teach us how to view the limited time that we have right now. The Epistle of James (chapter 4, verses 13-15) is one example:
“Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’”
To me, this past year felt like the mist which James writes about that so quickly vanishes away. In fact, the older I get, the more my whole life feels like this. In this passage, James takes a bird’s eye view of time and puts our lives into the perspective of all of history. His statement is obvious, but it’s one we often forget. We don’t last forever!
We don’t like to think of our mortality or what our life means in the grand scheme of things. That’s why so many of us try to avoid getting old - or should I say, try to hide the signs of getting old. But as hard as we try, we are powerless to change it. The mist will dissipate, blown away by forces outside of itself. We can’t stop time from moving, and one day, it will catch up with us.
For those of us who like control and self-reliance, this is a difficult word to accept. We like to plan ahead, calculate our moves, and execute to achieve our desired outcomes. In some sense, it seems like James is critiquing a good business plan. But I believe James is more concerned about over-confidence in our ability to control the future.
We are finite creatures bound by time. James reminds us that we can’t control the future. Not even our very existence is secure. Although we are here now, anything can happen tomorrow that we are unable to predict or stop. According to James, living as though we were in control of tomorrow is unwise and can even become reckless.
The alternative which he suggests is to frame our lives and the time that we have in the context of God - the creator of all who exists outside of time. Yes, Jesus (God incarnate) entered into history and was bound by time like you and me, but God stands outside of time since God is eternal. God simply is, without beginning or end.
James suggests that instead of being over-confident in what tomorrow will bring or what we can do, we should become humble and recognize that nothing about tomorrow or our lives is guaranteed. That doesn’t mean we should never makes plans for the future, but James invites us to shift our confidence to God, in whose hands tomorrow lies.
“Lord willing” isn’t a passive or reservist statement. It’s not an excuse we can use to say we’re not responsible for our actions. Instead it’s a way to frame all that we plan and do in light of God’s sovereignty. We should still be wise in how we plan to use our time and what we hope to do tomorrow and the next day, but part of that wisdom is to remember the misty nature of our lives.
“‘Lord willing’ is a helpful prefix to our view of time. It reminds us that we’re not in control and that we live and work for someone greater than us.”
“Lord willing” is a helpful prefix to our view of time. It reminds us that we’re not in control and that we live and work for someone greater than us. It reminds us that with every passing second, day, and year we aren’t moving through time alone, but that God is with us in our coming and going. It allows us to frame our future in what we actually can control - our willingness to hand over our tomorrows to God and trust that God will be with us no matter what tomorrow brings.
An obsession with the passing of time can quickly produce anxiety, which may help to explain why some of us go through mid-life crises. But time is really meant to be seen as a gift. Although it continues to vanish away, the fact that we’re here now and have the time we have, should lead us to give thanks to the giver of life. Each tomorrow is a gift of opportunity that we should never take for granted.
So where does a year go? I still can’t fathom it. However fast it felt, it’s now gone. I couldn’t slow time down and I definitely can’t get it back. All I can do is look back and give thanks for the time that has been given to me. And as I look ahead, I know that nothing about tomorrow, nor tomorrow itself, is guaranteed. But if the Lord wills, I will be here to see it.