I believe it was the curmudgeonly humorist Andy Rooney who originally quipped, “Life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.” So true, so true. Just when we think time can accelerate no more, its passage — be it measured in days, weeks, months, or years — shifts into newfound gears of blinding speeds. For those who have traveled life’s journey with Christ, something remarkable happens as we near our end here: We view this life with greater clarity; we “get it,” or at least increasingly so. Then let me share a few personal perspectives that have emerged as my hair turns grayer. (Correlated, not causal.)
For years, I asked God to show me my purpose, only to discover my purpose is Him. He speaks, “Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”1 Could we possibly have greater meaning? Lord, may everything we are and everything we do be for Your glory.
Humbled by those who daily engage the suffering — whether poverty, persecution, or pain — my giving is becoming more joyful. Jesus’ words are dropping from my head to my heart: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”2 This is God’s doing, not ours, and it’s a process. Lord, may we be wise, generous and joyful stewards of our time, talent, and treasure.
Personally, I have not suffered much in this life, but as the time goes on, I see more clearly this hope: Though our struggles are real and difficult, they are finite and will soon give way to endless joy. In the words of Paul, who suffered much, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”3 Nearer draws the day of unimaginable glory. Lord, we long for that day. Sustain us, guide us and use us as we wait.
Then what about you? What Biblical understandings have deepened in your life the only way they could — through time in the hands of a faithful God? May we take time to ponder His transforming work in us, gain faith from His faithfulness, and live this life with purpose — to glorify God.
O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you.4. My times are in your hand.5 Amen.
1 Isaiah 43:6-7 ESV
2 Acts 20:35 ESV
3 Romans 8:18 ESV
4 Psalm 39:4-5 ESV
5 Psalm 31:15 ESV
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Paul Nordman—Author 